A Dark Gift
by FreeSpiritSeeker
Summary: A grown woman who'd given up any thought of adventure suddenly finds herself given a gift: A chance at a new life and the chance to save the four vampire characters she'd always cared for in her dreams. Now, She's struggling to make sense of a life that's a combination of the best of the old and the most exciting of the new. Lost Boys/OC. Added from 2nd acct. Kiki Kendall
1. Chapter 1

Decided to post my stories from my secondary account-Kiki Kendall-here, since I was having trouble signing into my GMAIL account to answer emails and pms without having to go directly to the site, which is frustrating with two accounts. So posting them here too. Here's A Dark Gift, with a few corrections, here and there. Enjoy!

* * *

October 2015

I sat on the couch of my living room, listening to my young cousins squabble about which of the Lost Boys was cuter. We had just finished watching the movie, them for the first time, and I reminisced about having the same conversation with my older cousins when I was the age these girls were now.

"What do you think, Aunt Madison? Which one of the Lost Boys do you think is hottest?" one of the girls, Molly asked. I smiled at the familiar title. In our family, if you weren't part of the younger generation of cousins, you were "Aunt", no matter which sibling or cousin you were related to.

"Well, truthfully, I find them all attractive in their own way," I replied, as I began to gather up soft drink bottles, bowls still half-full of chips, pretzels and popcorn. There were candy wrappers strewn about, and bottles of finger nail polish littered the table top. The girls were rolled up within their blankets and sleeping bags, Molly on the couch. She'd won the coin toss the five of them competed in to win pride of place during our monthly movie nights.

It was a fun little outing I'd started when the girls were about six or seven: once a month I'd take them off everyone's hands so that their parents could go out and have a night to themselves. I was the only one without children due to medical issues, but the girls' parents allowed me to have them once a month, spoil them rotten, and then send them home. They understood that since I couldn't have any of my own, my nieces/cousins were as close as I would get to having children.

"Would you have saved them from the Frog Brothers and Sam, Michael and Star if you could have, Aunt Maddie?" asked my youngest niece, Alexa. She was cuddling with my silver-and-black German Shepherd, Annie.

"You know, I always wanted to, when I was your age. I'm too old for adventures now!" I said, laughing.

The girls all laughed too. "You're young in heart, Aunt Madison! Besides you're only 33!" Addie and Layla commented as they looked up from rereading the cover of the Lost Boys dvd for the twentieth time. Jenna nodded in agreement, making me smile. I looked up and saw that it was past one in the morning.

"Alright girls, time for sleep. Don't forget, we have brownies and cookies to bake tomorrow for your school bake sale!" I said. The girls whooped and hollered, followed by sighs and groans as they slithered down into their blankets and said good nights. I kissed them all on their foreheads, a task that was greeted with giggles and hugs from having it become our ritual over the years.

"Good night, my girls," I whispered as I headed to my own bedroom.

"Good night, Aunt Madison!" they whisper-shouted back to me. I turned the lights off in all of the rooms except the open bathroom door in case anyone needed it during the night. I closed my bedroom door and walked into my en suite bathroom. I shed my clothes and climbed into the shower, after giving it a few minutes to warm. I washed quickly and wrapped a towel around myself, wrapping another around my hair. I looked at myself in the mirror.

My face didn't show much age, I thought, but I certainly felt old. Years of medical issues had taken their toll on my body. My eyes were a warm brown, and shone with a sparkle of amusement. I had to admit, I was more often than not, quite happy and content. I'd learned long ago, that with the pain of everything I'd endured, it was either laugh or cry. And I'd decided I'd much rather laugh than cry when faced with what I had to do to simply survive. My hair was long, reaching my hips. But where it had once been thick and a rich brown, it was now dull and thinning, even an area at the top of my head where a bald spot had begun due to one of my medications. I sighed and turned away from the mirror. I quickly brushed my teeth and walked back into the bedroom after turning off the light.

I pulled on a large, oversize tee shirt and a pair of cotton flannel pajama pants with a One Ring pattern from Lord of the Rings, a gift from Addie and Layla the year before. I slipped between cool sheets and sighed as my body started to relax and all my joints slowly began to pop as they released the tension of the day. I looked at the clock and groaned. Already past two o'clock and I prayed that I'd at least get a few hours in before I had to be back up at seven-thirty to start baking for the girls' bake sale.

I closed my eyes, thinking about the girls' question. _Would you save them if you could?_ I had to admit that yes, yes I would. I'd always felt a strange connection to the Lost Boys. They could be cruel, they could be ruthless, but there was something about them that was strangely endearing and you just didn't want to see them die. I'd always hated Michael and Star for betraying them to Sam and the Frog Brothers. As I slipped under and into dreams, I thought again, yes, I'd save them.

* * *

As I dreamed I heard a strange voice. I opened my eyes to find a place of blank whiteness. There were no shadows, no darkness, only a blinding white light. "So, woman, you would save them?" came a voice from everywhere. I gasped and looked around me, seeking the source of it.

"I am nowhere and everywhere, woman. Answer the question. You would save them?" the voice asked again.

I gulped and nodded. "I would. I would want to save them."

All of a sudden there was a figure in front of me and it was beautiful. A woman with long golden hair in perfect ringlets. Her eyes were a deep blue and she was robed in a gown of pale blue. Her smile was exhilarating and made my knees weak, and I wasn't even into women! She reached out and placed a gentle hand upon the top of my head. "I am so happy to hear your agreement. I have a gift for you, child. Well, several gifts, truly. But the first gift that I will bestow upon you is he gift of an adventure. You will enter the worlds you have wished so often to join. You will have your chance to save my Lost ones. They need someone like you. Your love, your compassion, your heart and your bravery."

She paused before she continued. "Your second gift shall be the gift of music. I have watched all your life your envy and admiration of those who were able to create music with their voice and with instruments. You will quickly master instruments and you will remember any song you have heard in your old life and this new life before you. As long as you do not tempt fate by claiming them as your own works, of course."

"I would never do that, though," I said, without missing a beat. She smiled, as if that had answered her question without a question ever having been asked. "And that is why I bestow such a gift upon you. You do not take that which is not yours to claim."

"I will bestow upon you also a gift with animals. They will be drawn to you and will be soothed and calmed by your presence." I smiled at this, I'd loved animals all my life, but due to all the medical problems over the years, I'd only been able to have a pet during the last few years when I'd adopted Annie.

"The other gifts you will see as they come. Now, it is time." And with that, she gave me a soft kiss upon the forehead. I closed my eyes and was enveloped in darkness. I felt strange, sound was muffled, but I could hear a heartbeat. No, two heartbeats, besides my own. One thumped softly and regularly, the other in time with my own, fast like a hummingbird's wings. And suddenly there was pressure, and light, and cold. I screamed in confusion only to have it come out in a loud squall. I opened my eyes but everything was fuzzy. I was being held by giants! I tried to hear what they were saying, but there was another voice besides mine crying. I finally heard, "It's a girl!" called out.

I was wrapped in a warm blanket and it calmed me; I stopped screaming, trying to figure out what was going on. Then I was placed in a pair of warm arms and I looked up into a pair of warm blue eyes, another face beside it. "It's our girl Lucy! A boy and a girl. What are we going to name them?" asked the voice above me. A man, his eyes a sparkling grey, his skin and hair a soft brown.

"Michael for the boy. For the girl...Madison. Hello, my babies," she said softly, tiredly. And so came the second time I was born.

* * *

If my parents ever noticed anything odd about me, they never spoke about it. Do you know how odd it is to go from being a capable 33 year old adult to an infant? It's absolutely ridiculous, that's what it is. Having to "learn" everything all over again. Though once I hit about three, I was good. I "learned" to read quickly. By two and a half I could read almost any young children's book and had started on books meant for grade school children. Truthfully, I could probably read much farther than that, but I didn't want to scare anyone.

As the glowing woman (Angel? God?) had told me, I was also very musically gifted. At four years old, I picked up my first violin. My second mother, Lucy, my second father, Patrick, and my twin brother, Michael, and I were in the park in Phoenix. Lucy was very busy with our baby brother Sam who was only a month old. I'd wandered away, drawn to the sound of someone playing beautifully. I watched, enraptured by a young black man playing the violin. I sat down Indian-fashion, my hands on my knees as I watched him. When he finished, I clapped enthusiastically and he smiled. "Well hello there! What's your name?" he'd asked. I had a good intuition about people and this man gave off sunlight in my mind, a good indication that he was a decent man.

I held my hand out to him to shake. "My name is Madison Marie Emerson," I said. He smiled and took my little hand in his, shaking it gently.

"Well, Miss Madison Marie Emerson, my name is Robert Ray Johnson. You've been eyeing my violin the whole time I played. Would you like to try it? It might be a bit big for a bitty thing like you," he said, but I was already up and standing next to him, holding the instrument as I'd seen him hold it.

"Like this?" I asked. He blinked in surprise and nodded.

"Yes, exactly like that, honey," he replied and showed me the notes to play. Within a few moments I was playing "Twinkle twinkle little star" without guidance. He showed me also how to play "Old Macdonald" and "Pop goes the Weasle" which made me laugh when I got to pop the string.

Too soon, I heard a harried, frenzied pair of voices, along with the wails of an infant. I saw Lucy and Patrick, Lucy holding Sammy and Patrick dragging a tired-out Michael behind him. I raised my hand, still holding the bow and waved at them. "Over here, Momma!" I called and she sighed in relief as she spotted me. She knelt in front of me, still clutching Sammy.

"Madison Marie, you had me scared out of my wits! You know better than to go off wandering alone!" she said.

I teared up instantly, both in anger and in sadness. "I'm sorry, Momma. Robert was teaching me how to play, see?" I said, and showed her the three songs he'd shown me. She looked up at Robert then back at me.

"You learned all that in fifteen minutes?"

"She surely has a gift, Ma'am," Robert said, nodding at me. "You should get her signed up for lessons as soon as possible so that she doesn't lose her love for it like so many kids do when they're her age. Let her learn it now when she's fascinated and loves it, and she'll love it all her life," he said.

Lucy and Patrick agreed with Robert, and while I never saw him again and never got to thank him, it was due to him that I was signed up for violin lessons that very weekend.

* * *

As the years passed, and I felt less bereft of my first life and family, I became closer and closer to Lucy, Patrick, and my brothers. Michael and I were so close as twins to often share thoughts and dreams. Once, when we were eight, I fell out of a tree and bruised my tailbone. He felt the phantom pain of it and we both had trouble sitting properly for weeks. We often completed each others sentences and until we were pubescent, had a language all our own. Nightmares were doubled, we would often both wake screaming, only one of having actually had the dream, the other only picking up the fear and images from it. Of course, this caught Lucy's attention and she did a ton of research about twins and their connections. I felt bad that Sammy didn't have a twin too, but he was enough of a bother all by himself, when he wasn't completely endearing.

Michael and I looked a lot alike, we both had the same blue-gray eyes and wild hair, though his was a darker shade than mine. My own was closer to Lucy's red, but with streaks of gold and copper running through it. My skin was a shade or so lighter than Michael's, but still had a hint of tan. I wasn't a model by any means, but I'd remembered a lot of the health and weight issues I'd had in my former life and had made sure that this time around, I ate healthier and exercised more. I wasn't a stick figure, but I didn't suffer from the obesity that had made my life a living hell the first time around.

Besides music, I'd also been signed up for several other classes over the years as I took an interest in them. Dance, gymnastics, and karate to name a few. Sadly, they were only passing fancies as it turned out that even in this life, I couldn't walk across a flat, stable surface without tripping over my own two damn feet. The only exception to the rule that we'd found was when I was on the beam in gymnastics, for some reason. I could balance perfectly fine on it...or while walking along the top of a fence or banister which I found myself doing often, though I don't have any idea why.

When puberty hit, I cursed whatever power had brought me here. Like going through it once wasn't enough. The whole awkward stage of getting boobs, hair in places it wasn't before and getting your first period all over again could definitely be considered cruel and unusual punishment, I thought. Not to mention dating. Which I refused to do, at all in Phoenix. Lucy said I was an old soul, and she was right. Thirteen to sixteen year old boys were just too immature for me to take seriously.

When Michael and I turned seventeen, it was a grand birthday celebration, up until Lucy discovered Patrick having sex with her best friend Diane in a closet. We spent the next year in a limbo of hell, while Lucy and Patrick divorced. When the dust settled, we were left with no money and no home, so Lucy decided to move us all to live with her dad. I didn't remember Grampa very well from personal memories, but I still had a vague remembrance of him from the movie as being slightly gruff but very funny.

So we all packed our meager belongings, my violin getting pride of place with my stuff in the back seat, as it was an expensive instrument. We clambered into Mom's truck and off we went, down the roads towards Santa Carla, California.


	2. Chapter 2

The night before we arrived in Santa Carla, we'd stopped in at a motel for the night. I was snuggled next to Michael and Sammy, Lucy, and Nanook were snuggled into the other bed. As we had as children, Michael and I held hands as we prepared for sleep, facing each other. We grinned at each other, whispering our hopes for the new place and for the future. As we slid into sleep, I began to dream.

 _Carnival music played loudly in the background. I was moving up and down, seated on a silver and black Carousel horse. I watched as four young men came into sight. Three blondes, one brunette. The first, with his ice cold eyes, was dressed in black, from black leather gloves and trench coat, all the way to his black leather boots. I knew his name._

 _"David," I whispered._

 _Beside him, tall and dark of hair and skin and eyes, "Dwayne," I whispered. He was shirtless, covered only by his leather-and-leopard print jacket and jeans. His boots were heavy, but he walked almost soundlessly._

 _Next to Dwayne, tall, blonde and very rock-and-roll, hair in a wild style, if it could even be called a style. He was wearing a mesh shirt under a tuxedo jacket decorated with silver conchos and pins. "Paul," I whispered._

 _And finally, the smallest of the Lost Boys, but definitely not the least, "Marko," my voice was quiet. He was wearing a colorful jacket of pieced-together patches. His hair was long and curly and his smile was sweet but there was something feral in his eyes._

 _I watched as they harassed the Surf Nazi's girlfriend, David running his gloved hand over her cheek to inflame the foolish rival gang member. Unfortunately, the fight caught the attention of the security guard who suddenly had a baton at David's throat. I watched as he ordered them all off the boardwalk. and watched, with a slight sense of foreboding and horror as they came back later and ripped him away from the boardwalk, never to be seen again._

I gasped awake, sweating and breathing hard. I looked around, everyone else was already up and moving around. "There you are, I was just getting ready to wake you up," Lucy said. She knew how hard a time I usually had falling asleep after suffering from years of insomnia, so I was usually allowed to sleep as long as it was possible before having to be woken up. And I am most definitely not a morning person. I groaned and nodded, dragging myself from the warm blankets and into the bathroom.

I used the toilet, washed my face and brushed my teeth. I took my hair out of the braid I'd secured it in the night before and shook it out before brushing it, shivering when the hip-length mass swished against my back. I pulled it back into a ponytail before using a scrunchie to hold it back into a soft bun. I knew that Michael wanted to ride his motorcycle for a while today and I always rode with him. I didn't want my hair to get ridiculously tangled during the ride, so pulling it back was a necessity.

I walked back into the bedroom and dug through my bag for clean clothes. I gathered a pair of comfortable jeans and a Bon Jovi shirt. I slipped on a clean pair of socks and my tennis shoes and was ready to go. I slipped a pair of small amethyst studs into my ears and a few silver rings on my fingers and I was finished. We all clambered into Lucy's truck and away we went. We stopped after a few hours at a gas station, and sure enough, Michael pulled his bike off the U-haul.

"Want to ride, Maddie?" he asked, starting the engine.

I grinned. "You know it, big brother," I teased him, as he was only seven minutes older than I was. I climbed on behind him and wrapped my arms around his neck as I stood on the bars while waiting for Mom to pull out.

"Sit down, Maddie!" Michael warned. I huffed and sat down. "Spoilsport. We weren't even moving yet," I laughed, and poked him in the side, making the both of us laugh when he yelped. He grinned back at me before hitting the gas, causing me to fly forward, bumping my head against his back. "Jerk!" I cried and whacked him on the back of the head before we took off for real, following Mom out of Santa Carla and towards Grandpa's. We pull up to a large farm, complete with horses and what appears to be a log cabin surrounded by wooden corral-fences and carved wooden sculptures Grandpa had created. "Wow!" I said, nodding towards one carved to look like an American Indian. "Think Grandpa would let me put that in my room?" I asked Michael. He just laughed at me before replying, "You're his favorite, he might." "Of course I am, I'm the only granddaughter!" I laughed in his ear.

As we pulled into the driveway closer to the house, we saw Grandpa lying on the floor. "Dad?" Lucy said, checking him over, saying what a deep sleeper he was. "If he's dead, can we go back to Phoenix?" Sam asked, and Michael and Lucy glared at him, while I smacked him in the back of the head. "That's enough, nimrod. Get it through your thick skull, we're here to stay," I said in his ear.

Grandpa sat up, saying he'd been playing dead and apparently doing a damn good job of it. I grinned at him and threw myself into his arms for a hug. "Grandpa!"

He hugged me close for a minute. "There's my Maddie-girl!" he exclaimed. I helped him up off the floor and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we went inside. As the boys started bringing their stuff in, Grandpa showed me to my room. "The boys get to pick between the other two, but I remembered how much you love being able to watch the horses and the woods," Grandpa said, showing me to a room with a full-view of the horse pasture. I grinned when I saw that he'd taken the old, small windows out and had replaced them with large bay windows complete with a window seat and tons of bookshelves. "Thanks, Grandpa! I love it!"

I hurried downstairs and with Michael's help was able to carry up my boxes of books and my violin, the only things besides my clothes and my small stereo that I'd cared about keeping from all my stuff from Phoenix. I listened as my brothers ran around downstairs, while I turned on my stereo, popping in a casette of Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi, singing along as I tacked up pictures I'd drawn. I'm not entirely sure if it was a gift from the Angel-lady this time around, but we'd found over the years that I could draw from memory, as if I'd taken a picture in my mind. There were images of Lucy, Michael and Sam, a study of Nanook, a collage of my friends from Phoenix. I'd gotten into the habit of keeping a drawing pad on me at all times, along with pencils.

"Madison, we're going to town, do you want to come?" Lucy called up to me. I looked up, surprised that it was dark already. I grinned to myself, knowing that tonight I would finally see the boys for the first time with my own eyes. "Coming, Mom!" I said. I pulled a denim jacket over my shirt as it had cooled a bit once the sun set. I grabbed my cross-body bag and stuffed my art book and pencils inside. I debated bringing my violin. _Hmm, not tonight_ , I decided and wandered downstairs.

When we made it into town, the boys took off towards the beach to watch the saxophone player who was performing that night. I thought about joining them, remembering he was rather good, but I knew that I would see the boys sooner if I went with Lucy. "You guys go on, I'm going to hang with Mom for a while. Maybe we'll both be able to find jobs!" I said brightly.

Lucy looked at me in surprise. "Are you sure, honey? I know you love music. You don't have to hang out with your old Mom and miss this guy."

"I'm sure, Mom. Besides we'll be able to hear most of it, anyways, from here," I replied. So we wandered the boardwalk shops looking for places that were offering jobs. I felt the nerves in my body begin to tingle as we got closer and closer to Max's Video. "Hey Mom, I'm going to go look around in here, okay?" I asked, nodding towards the store. I knew within a few minutes, she'd spot the little boy, Terry, and be coming in herself.

"Okay," she said, and I wandered into the store. I looked around and smiled, heading towards an out of the way shelf. What I didn't expect was the dog. As what I called the Angel-Lady had said, animals adored me and as I turned, there was Thorn, Max's dog. Without warning, he jumped up on his hind legs, his front paws on my shoulders, knocking me backwards to the floor and licking my face. I heard gasps from the room, and Max's outraged voice telling him to "Get off the young lady, Thorn!"

Meanwhile, I was laughing as he bathed my face in doggy kisses. I ran my hands over his chest and head. "Well hello, Thorn," I said. I put my hand on his chest and he stopped the kisses. I looked up and found Max staring at me in surprise, as well as having caught the attention of the boys. David's casual smirk, the other boys looking on with various looks of surprise/humor. And then Mom's voice asking about Terry. I watched from my spot laying on the floor as Mom asked about the little boy's mother and then mother and son were reunited. I listened as Max told the boys to leave. Mom looked over and saw me still lying on the ground, Thorn still perched over me.

"Find a new friend, Maddie?" she asked. I grinned and nodded.

"I am so sorry, I don't know what's gotten into him. Thorn, off, right now," he said. Thorn merely yawned and plopped his behind on my stomach, making me give a soft "oof!" and began to wag his tail. Mom laughed. "It's ok, animals have always been that way with her. Just watch," Mom said, nodding to me.

I smiled and turned to Thorn. "Thorn, off please?" He gave me one last quick doggy kiss and nimbly leaped off me, before turning around three times and laying down as if I'd never walked into the store. "Good boy," I said and petted his head, causing him to wag his tail madly.

"Well, I've never seen the like. You are an animal charmer, Miss," Max said, handing me a lollipop. I smiled and took it.

"Thanks," I said. I turned to Mom. "Mom, I'm going to go wander around for a while, I'll meet back up with Michael and Sam."

I wandered along the boardwalk and perched myself on a bench under a streetlamp across from where the boys had parked their bikes, knowing that Michael would be coming with Sammy, following Star and Laddie. I watched as they teased each other, and I pulled out my drawing pad and a pencil and began sketching out an image of the boys on their bikes.

As expected, before too long, there was Star and Laddie, followed by a love-struck Michael and Sammy teasing him. I stood and closed my pad, putting it and my pencils in my bag and headed over to them. I reached them just as the boys looked up, David helping Star onto the back of his bike, Dwayne helping Laddie to mount his. David smirked as he saw Michael's eyes follow Star, and then turned to see me as well. Something odd flashed in his eyes for a second before he resumed his smirk and the boys revved their bikes before taking off. "Oh, she stiffed ya," Sammy teased Michael.

That night as I climbed into bed, it was with a smile. I had seen them. My eyes flicked to the newest addition to my collection of drawings on my wall. It was the boys on their bikes, minus Star. Laddie's little blonde head peeked behind Dwayne's back, though. David's eyes sparkled with humor and something slightly more chilling. Paul and Marko's glinted with laughter and Dwayne's eyes were as calm as he seemed. "Goodnight, boys," I said softly and my eyes drifted closed.

 _The dream began with a car parked overlooking the bright lights of the boardwalk. Inside were Shelley and Greg, the two from the first night I'd dreamed. They were in the back of the car, Shelley reading a comic and laughing, Greg kissing along her neck and trying to get lucky. Shelley smacked him when he interrupted her reading, but it didn't dissuade Greg one bit. He continued his overly enthusiastic wooing until there was a noise and Shelley pushed him off. "What was that?" she asked, panic in her voice._

" _What was what?" Greg asked._

" _I thought I heard something," she said, concerned._

" _Forget it," Greg said, trying to return to his amorous advances. Suddenly the roof was torn off the car, and the night was filled with their screams as first Greg, then Shelley were yanked from the car and into the night._

I gasped awake, and once more it was morning. I laid back on the bed for a few minutes before Sam opened the door and Nanook launched himself on top of me on the bed. "Morning, 'Nook," I said. Sammy came and plopped beside me in the bed. "Grandpa wants to know if we want to go to town?"

I yawned and nodded. "Sure, I'll be right down." I said. I quickly pulled on clean clothes and skipped down the stairs. I joined Grandpa and Sammy in the back of Grandpa's car. He turned the car on, and it gave a gentle rumble. "See that? Purrs like a kitten," he said, before turning the car off.

"I thought we were going to town?" Sam asked.

"That's as close to town as I like to get," said Grandpa, climbing out of the car. I laughed and climbed out too.

"Come on, Sam. I'll make us some breakfast and then we'll hit the boardwalk later with Michael," I said. He grumbled but followed. I wrapped my arm around him, knowing he was disappointed. "Maybe Grandpa will let me drive it and I'll take you with me, okay, bud?" I said. He looked at me and grinned.

"You are by far the best older sister, ever!" he said and took off running into the house. I laughed and walked back inside and started to whip up eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast. I called everyone down, though Lucy was already at work. The "menfolk" were appreciative of the meal and I cleaned up with Michael's help. "Well boys, I'm going to go read for a few hours, yell when you're ready to head out, okay, Michael?" I said. He nodded and I wandered upstairs to reread a copy of Interview with a Vampire for the millionth time, excited as to what the evening would bring.


	3. Chapter 3

That evening, Michael, Sam and I headed to the Boardwalk. Sam with Mom on her way in to work at Max's Video, and I rode on the back of Michael's bike with him. I wandered around with him for a while, laughing when I saw him buying a new leather jacket. "Oh, big brother. You're trying too hard! You're cute, sweet and a great catch. If she can't see that, she's blind!" I said, as he grinned and kissed me on the forehead before shooing me off.

I found where he'd parked his bike, and hopped up on the railing, pulling my drawing pad out once again. I began sketching Michael and Star as they walked towards me in quick, efficient strokes, capturing their likeness. As I was closing my book, I heard Michael asking Star if she wanted to get something to eat. I looked up as I heard the bikes. Michael had already climbed on his, offering Star his arm. I slid down off the rail as we were surrounded by the boys.

"Where ya going, Star?" David asked, looking the three of us over. His gaze stopped on me for a moment before returning to Star's.

"For a ride. This is Michael," she replied. "And this?" he asked, nodding towards me. She shrugged, unsure of who I was. I smiled and said softly, "I'm Madison, Michael's sister."

"Let's go," Michael said, offering to help her onto the bike. As she went to step up, David's voice stopped her. "Star?" She turned quickly, looking disappointed and angry. There was a moment of tension before she climbed onto the back of David's bike, causing him to smile and Michael to frown. The other boys laughed.

"You know where Hudson's Bluff is overlooking the point?" David asked.

"I can't beat your bike," Michael replied.

"You don't have to beat me, Michael. You just have to try and keep up. And bring Sweet Sister along for the ride, why don't you?" he said, looking at me. I raised my brows in surprise, but clambered onto the back of Michael's motorcycle when he offered me his arm.

Dwayne looked back at Laddie, "We're going for a ride," he said, and I watched with a smile as the little boy wrapped his arms around the older rider. Laddie looked over at me and grinned, and I smiled back at him. "Hi there," I said, just before we took off. He waved and then wrapped his arms back around Dwayne. And then we began to ride. Down the boardwalk stairs and across the beach, through the woods where the fog began to roll in getting thicker and thicker. I knew the cliff edge was getting closer and closer and just prayed that Michael would see it before we went over. The boys were whooping and hollering as we flew along the ground, we were neck-and-neck with David and Star when suddenly Michael stopped the bike, sending us skidding close to the edge of the cliff.

Unfortunately the bike landed on my ankle, and I yelped in pain. "Oh god, Maddie, are you okay?" I nodded, as Paul and Marko helped haul me out from under it. "What the hell are you doing, huh? You could've killed her!" Michael screamed at David. Michael turned on David, hitting him as both I and Star shouted "No!"

Paul and Marko hauled Michael back as he shouted, "Just you! Come on, just you!" at David. I stood carefully, putting most of my weight on the leg that hadn't been trapped under the bike. Before I knew it, Dwayne was next to me, his arm wrapped around my side, helping me to stand easier. I looked up at him, easily a foot taller than my diminutive five-foot-three. "Thanks," I said, before my mouth decided to finish the sentence with, "Jesus, you're tall." He snickered and looked down at me. "And you're short."

"Yeah, yeah. Where the hell are you when I need to change a lightbulb and can't reach?" I said, poking him in the side and grinning. He laughed harder. "You're alright, Princess."

I looked up as I heard David speaking to my brother. "How far are you willing to go, Michael?" he asked. Everyone climbed back on their bikes, Michael and Dwayne carefully helping me on. I wrapped my arms around Michael and we drove after the boys. We stopped when we reached a set of wooden stairs leading down towards what appeared to be a cave of some kind. There were loads of "Keep Out" and "Caution" signs surrounding the place, as well as chain link fencing.

"Paul, help the Princess down the stairs," David ordered and Paul wandered over towards me, eyes mischievous. I looked at him warily. "If you drop me and I fall into the ocean and drown, I'm going to be your personal poltergeist for eternity!" I said, giving him my best amused glare. They all laughed and I was surprised at how very gently and carefully he picked me up and carried me down the stairs, making sure my sore ankle didn't hit the railing or the doorways into the cave.

As we entered what appeared to be a wide open area, Paul handed me off to Dwayne who was already on the floor, so he wouldn't have to carry me down an uneven patch of dirt and rock that seemed to be their "stairs" down into the room. Dwayne set me carefully on a couch. "Comfortable?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you," I said softly. He smiled and ran his fingers through my hair, which had come loose during the ride from the boardwalk. He seemed to catch himself and pulled his hand away from my face and hair, and I blushed as he looked at me and walked to the other side of the room. I listened as David told the story about the hotel and looked around the room at the collection of odd items and decorations. Most prominent was a large fountain with a chandelier that had fallen inside it, and a large poster of Jim Morrison, as well as several large burn barrels that were the main source of light and a bit of heat from the cool, damp winds off the beach.

I looked up to find Marko holding a pigeon, stroking it's soft breast. Paul was dancing around the edge of the fountain, and unlit joint in his mouth. Dwayne and Laddie were sitting on the couch across the room. Star, Michael and David were still standing at the front of the room. "Marko, food!" David called.

Marko tossed the pigeon in the air and it surprised everyone when instead of flying upwards towards it's roost, it flew to me, landing on my outstretched hand. I rubbed a fingertip gently over it's head, sending it into a paroxysm of coos and sweet calls. I looked up and blushed as all eyes were on me.

David continued his spiel. "That's what I love about this place. You ask, then you get." Paul handed him the now-lit joint and David took a drag before offering it to Michael. "Appetizer?" he asked. Michael took it as David patted him on the back. "You'll like it here, Michael," he said.

While they were occupied, I placed the pigeon on the back of the couch beside me and pulled my pad and pencil out of my bag, sketching out the room and the boys in painstaking detail. My fingers flew, deepening and shading certain areas, lightening others. I looked up as Marko returned, calling out, "Feeding time. Come and get it, boys!"

"Chinese, good choice. Guests first," David said appreciatively. He handed a carton to Michael, as Marko handed one to me. I smiled and him and thanked him. He winked at me. "Only the best for the Princess," he said, before handing Paul and Dwayne each a carton. I opened my carton and was surprised to find my favorite, Chicken and mixed vegetables over rice. I took the chopsticks and began to eat as David teased Michael about how a billion Chinese people couldn't be wrong about enjoying rice. Michael finally broke down and took a bite.

"How are those maggots, Michael?" David asked, causing both Michael and me to look up. "You're eating maggots. How do they taste?" I looked on in concern, as Paul and the others laughed and Michael looked panic, spitting out his rice and throwing the carton away from him. The boys laughed harder.

"Michael?" I asked in concern. Apparently I wasn't the only one, as Star chimed in saying, "Leave him alone."

David looked to me, and saw my concern. He began digging into his carton and offered Michael a bite. "No hard feelings, huh? Why don't you try some noodles?"

"They're worms," Michael said. The boys laughed again as Michael spoke. "What do you mean they're worms?" David said, smirking. Even Dwayne and little Laddie were laughing this time. David dug deep into the carton and loaded some onto his chopsticks. "Don't eat those," Michael tried to say, but David took a large bite. "They're only noodles, Michael."

"That's enough," Star said, causing Paul to tell her to chill out. David got Marko's attention and asked him to retrieve something. From the movie, I knew it was the bottle of his blood. Sure enough, Marko came back carrying the bottle that was decorated with gold and gems. I watched as David took a sip, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Drink some of this, Michael. Be one of us," David said. He held the bottle out to my brother and I was desperately trying to decide whether to stop him or not. But time seemed to move to quickly, I felt like I was in a trance as I watched Star try to get him not to, telling him that it was blood. "Yeah, sure. Blood," he said, disbelieving. Nervously, Laddie got up and joined Star behind her curtained alcove, as the boys cheered Michael on, calling his name. As I watched, Michael took a long swallow from the jeweled bottle.

"Bravo!" David called out, clapping. "Give us a ride, Marko," he said. Marko began pushing David around in his wheel chair-throne as the other boys danced around, Paul blasting the music.

I'd finished my food and once again had my art pad out, sketching the scene before me. Abruptly, the pad was yanked from my fingers and I found myself staring into two ice-chip blue eyes. David sat back in his "throne" and flipped through the pages. His eyes widened as they went through the book and he returned his gaze to mine. "These are very impressive, Princess." I felt color rising to my cheeks. "Thank you, David," I said. He nodded, before holding his hand out to me. I stood carefully with his help, glad to find that the ankle wasn't too sore after being rested for a while.

The song on the radio changed to a softer, slower ballad and I gasped as David drew me to him, his arm wrapped around my waist, partially lifting me, the other hand wrapping around my smaller one. He danced us around the room in an odd, waltz-like style, passing me off at different points to Dwayne, Paul and Marko, but by the end of the song, I was back in his arms, giggling at a joke that Paul had told me. David gestured towards the bottle of blood. "How about it, Princess. Do you want to drink, too?"

I smiled and shook my head. "Not tonight, thank you, David. I'll be taking pain medication when I get home for my leg. Probably not the greatest idea to mix alcohol and pain medication. I sometimes have odd reactions to them to begin with," I said. He looked disappointed, but he couldn't contradict himself saying it wasn't alcohol when he'd stressed to Michael that it was only wine. It was beginning to get late and the boys seemed to recognize that.

"Come on, boys, we're going to drop the Princess of at home, then we're going to show Michael something new," hew said. It sounded good to me, as I was beginning to get sleepy anyways. This time it was Dwayne who carried me bridal-style up the stairs, but with as much care as Paul had shown on the way in. I waved goodbye to Laddie who was standing at the mouth of the cave and smiled when he waved back. Dwayne helped me onto the back of David's motorcycle and I wrapped my arms around David; I leaned my head forward against his jacket, blushing when I felt David place his hand over mine, thumb rubbing circles against my wrist.

"You okay back there, Princess?" he asked, as we rode. "I'm great!" I called back, giggling as he made the bike go even faster. Before long, we were pulling up in front of Grandpa's. Before I could blink, David was helping me up, and kissing me on the forehead. "Goodnight, Sweet Sister," he said, winking at me and making me blush again.

I turned to walk to the house and there was Dwayne, he also kissed me on the forehead. "Night, Princess," he said, running a hand through my hair. Before I could say goodnight, Marko and Paul were beside me, each giving me a soft kiss on the lips, surprising me. "Umm...goodnight, boys," I said, my cheeks coloring brightly and hotly. They laughed and watched as I climbed the stairs to the house and walked inside, waving goodnight to them. I shut the door and leaned against it for a moment before heading upstairs to bed.

I simply pulled off my jeans and climbed into my bed in just my shirt and panties, not realizing that the boys could see from where they were watching me from below. I popped a quick pain pill for my leg, swallowing it down with the water in the glass at my bedside. I felt strangely bereft as I heard the boys' bikes start and fade away.


	4. Chapter 4

That night my dream was a bit more strange than usual, because I dreamed what the boys were doing with Michael. As I was wrapped up in my blankets, the scene played behind my eyes.

 _Five bikes pulled up to the railroad tracks. Michael was quiet but feeling lively, his eyes bright, as he followed the others. "Perfect timing," David said, walking towards the side of the tracks that disappeared over a large ravine._

 _"What's going on?" Michael asked._

 _"Michael wants to know what's going on," David teased. "Marko? What's going on?"_

 _"I don't know, Paul, what's going on?" Marko asked._

 _"Who wants to know?" Paul asked._

 _"Michael wants to know," Dwayne replied._

 _David put an arm around Michael's shoulders, much as he'd done to me earlier that evening. "I think we should let Michael know what's going on," he said. He turned them so that they were facing the other boys. "Marko?" David questioned._

 _Marko grinned and stepped back, jumping down with a quiet, "Bombs away!"_

 _Michael's eyes widened and the others laughed. Paul went next. "Bottom's up, man!" he said, jumping._

 _The ever-quiet Dwayne just snapped his fingers and dropped off the side of the tracks._

 _David stepped up to the edge, looking into Michael's eyes. "Come with us, Michael." he said, and then stepped over the edge. I watched, as a worried Michael peered over the edge of the tracks and saw the boys hanging onto bars of the railing. Marko and Paul were kicking at each other as the boys whooped. "Michael Emerson, come on down," David called up to him._

 _Michael climbed down carefully, gripping tightly to the bar he held. "Welcome aboard, Michael!" Paul called out._

 _"Fun, huh?" David asked. The sudden sound of a barreling train on the tracks caused Michael to look up, just as it began violently shaking the bars the boys were holding onto. "Hold on!" David shouted over the sound of the train's horn._

 _Michael was horrified when Paul suddenly fell from the bars. "Don't be scared, Michael!" Marko shouted before letting go and yelling as he fell. Dwayne dropped next. "Michael, you're one of us. Let go," David shouted._

 _"And do what?" Michael shouted back._

 _"You are one of us, Michael," David repeated, his eyes like ice chips once more. He let go of the bar, dropping into the fog below as Michael screamed his name. As I watched, my brother began to lose his grip on the bar he was on. He started to hear voices below him, calling for him. But how was that possible, he thought. Finally he couldn't hold on anymore and he too dropped into the fog, yelling as he fell. But as he fell, his descent suddenly slowed and then stopped, catching him off guard. I watched as he looked around in surprise before falling once more into oblivion._

I woke the next day around eleven in the morning, and dressed in a soft pair of faded jeans and a royal blue tank top as the morning was quite warm. Lucy was sitting at the table, eating an early lunch/late breakfast before she left for work. "Morning, Mom," I said, smiling and kissing the top of her head.

"Hi, honey. Did you have a good time last night?" she asked.

"I did. Michael and I met some new people. They seem pretty cool." I said, buttering a slice of toast she handed me.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" she exclaimed, her smile brighter.

"Hey Mom? I was wondering if I could go with you to town? I was thinking of maybe taking my violin and performing on the boardwalk for cash?"

"Oh, honey, I think that's a wonderful idea! I'm ready to go now, so go brush your hair and teeth, put some comfortable shoes on and grab your violin and we'll go, okay?" she said.

I nodded, quickly finished my toast and ran upstairs. I braided my hair back, tossing it over my shoulder and feeling it slap lightly against center of my spine. I brushed my teeth and slicked simple cherry chapstick over my lips before putting the container in my pocket. I carefully grabbed my violin and carried it downstairs and out to Lucy's truck. I climbed in beside her as she started the vehicle and we were on our way. We chatted as she drove, mostly about how excited she was about her new job and that she found her new boss Max rather attractive.

"That's great Mom! He seems like a really sweet guy. I like his dog," I grinned, remembering the horrified look on Max's face when Thorn pushed me to the floor and covered me in doggy kisses.

"Oh you! You'd like anyone who had a dog," Lucy said, smacking my shoulder gently. I had to laugh, it was true. "Well, dogs are good assessors of people. If a dog likes someone, they can't be all bad." I replied.

Too soon we were pulling up on the boardwalk. I felt a slight frission of nerves hit me, but I climbed out, clutching my violin. "Why don't you set up outside of Max's, that way I can keep an eye on you?" Mom asked and I quickly agreed.

I placed a piece of paper asking for tips inside my violin's case as I stood and prepared to play. I sighed and thought about the pieces I wanted to play. I began with something simple, America the beautiful, followed by Amazing Grace, and then worked up to harder and more modern pieces. Time passed more quickly than I was aware of and my tips grew slowly from quarters to dollars. Before I knew it, the sun had set and Max had stopped to listen to me play. I grinned at him as I played a fast Irish jig.

His eyes were merry as I pulled the bow across the strings and I ended the song. "Your mother was right, you are very talented. Do you sing as well?" he asked.

"Sometimes," I said. "Really depends on the song." I answered.

"Well, I would truly enjoy hearing it," he said, dropping a $20 bill in my case. My eyes went wide and I nodded. Just as I was trying to decide what song to sing, I heard the rumble of the boys' bikes and I suddenly knew what song I would play. It was a tune from my old world and wouldn't be out for a good 20+ years, but it was one that I enjoyed immensely playing.

I tapped my toe on the ground to get my rhythm started and began to play, my voice joining next.

If I die young, bury me in satin  
Lay me down on a bed of roses  
Sink me in a river at dawn  
Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh, uh oh

Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother  
She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors, oh,  
And life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no  
Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife of a short life, oh well  
I've had just enough time

If I die young, bury me in satin  
Lay me down on a bed of roses  
Sink me in the river at dawn  
Send me away with the words of a love song

The sharp knife of a short life, oh well  
I've had just enough time

And I'll be wearing white, when I come into your kingdom  
I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger,  
I've never known the lovin' of a man  
But it sure felt nice when he was holdin' my hand,  
There's a boy here in town, says he'll love me forever,  
Who would have thought forever could be severed by...

...the sharp knife of a short life, oh well?  
I've had just enough time

So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls  
What I never did is done

A penny for my thoughts, oh, no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar  
They're worth so much more after I'm a goner  
And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singin'  
Funny when you're dead how people start listenin'

If I die young, bury me in satin  
Lay me down on a bed of roses  
Sink me in the river at dawn  
Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh (uh, oh)  
The ballad of a dove (uh, oh)  
Go with peace and love  
Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket  
Save 'em for a time when you're really gonna need 'em, oh

The sharp knife of a short life, oh well  
I've had just enough time

So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls.

Max was smiling. "Very, very talented," he said and he looked up. I saw the boys were staring at me. He nodded to them; David nodded back. He walked into the video store as I began to gather the tips I had made, before carefully wiping down my violin and rosining the bow and placing them in their compartments. I latched the case closed and stood just as the boys surrounded me.

"Hi guys, beautiful evening, isn't it?" I said. I slid my money into my pocket and felt arms wrap around me. David's around my shoulders, and Marko's around my waist. "You sing beautifully, Princess," Marko said.

"You liked it?" I asked. All four of them nodded enthusiastically.

"As much as I hate agreeing with him, Max is right, you're very talented," David said. He leaned over and kissed my temple. "So, Princess, what shall we do tonight?"

"Well, I skipped lunch and haven't had dinner. How about pizza? My treat, of course," I said, thinking of the money jangling in my pocket.

"Pizza sounds good," Dwayne said quietly. Paul nodded, tucking a half-smoked joint into his jacket pocket. "Yeah! Pizza!" he said, raising a hand and headbanging as we walked down the boardwalk, making me laugh as he nearly tripped over his own feet. I yelped as he grabbed my violin from my hand and tossed it to Dwayne before yanking me into his arms, twirling us around as we headed towards the pizza place. I made a noise that suspiciously sounded like a loud "EEP!" as I tripped over his feet but he managed to keep us from collapsing to the floor.

"Jesus, Paul, you pot head, you're going to break her," Marko said, hauling me away from Paul and back into his arms. "Besides, that's not how you dance with a lady. This is how you dance with a lady," he said, surprising me as he took my arms in the classic waltz position and we were suddenly doing a box step. I threw my head back and laughed. He grinned and danced me back to David just as we got to the front door of the pizza parlor. We took a seat in a booth in the back, with me sitting between Dwayne and David, Paul and Marko across from us.

David pulled a cigarette from behind his ear and lit up as the waitress came over. "What'll it be, boys?" I asked. David pulled in a drag and replied, "Four loaded, no anchovies, two pepperoni, sausage and mushroom, four cokes and one sprite," he said, handing her a wad of bills before I could even reach into my pocket.

"David!" I objected for a second before he turned that bright blue gaze on me. I blushed and quieted, sinking back into the seat. He smirked at me and Dwayne put his arm around my shoulders. "Our treat, Princess," Dwayne said, and kissed the top of my head, making color rise to my cheeks. Marko and Paul snickered and David's smirk widened. I grabbed David's cigarette and put it out, sticking my tongue out at him. He raised a brow at me before telling me, "Best put that tongue away before I put it to good use." I gasped and blushed cherry red, making the rest of the boys laugh. I was never so glad to see a waitress reappear with pizza and drinks as I was at that moment.

I watched in awe as the boys, especially Paul, devoured the pizza. I ate three pieces and thought I was going to nearly burst. David looked over at me and smiled. "You coming, Princess?"

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Home, of course," Marko said. I smiled. "Home with you all...hmmm...sounds good to me!" I said and they all slid out of the booth, Paul and Marko wrapping their arms around me this time as they led me to the door. We stopped and ordered one pepperoni pizza and a couple of bottles of Coca-cola to go to take back to the cave to Laddie and Star. I realized suddenly that I didn't have my violin. I looked around in fear for it before Dwayne seemed to realize what I was looking for. "It's right here, sweetheart," he said, lifting it to show that he still had ahold of it from when Paul had shoved it at him earlier.

"Oh thank god. If I lost that, I'd be heartbroken," I said softly. He surprised me with a quick peck on the lips, causing Marko and Paul to tease me. "I'll guard it with my life, Princess," Dwayne said, holding it against his chest. I smiled up at him. "Thank you, Dwayne," I replied. He nodded in return and placed his other hand at the small of my back as we walked out of the pizza parlor.

"I call dibs on the Princess, she hasn't ridden with me yet!" called out Paul. I laughed and rolled my eyes, but climbed onto the back of his bike. "You do realize I'm not some shiny new toy you can call dibs on, right?" I asked. He winked at me and started the bike, grabbing my hand and making me wrap my arms around him tightly before taking off with a quick blast from his engine. At the sudden burst of speed I laughed, which surprised him, I think he expected me to be afraid. But then, he didn't know that I knew he was a vampire and had excellent driving skills and superior vision.

In no time we arrived back at the cave and we headed down the stairs, me going a whole lot slower than the boys. "What's wrong there, Princess? Why so slow?" asked David.

"I have a rather healthy fear of heights!" I said, smiling up at him.

"Oh, is that all?" he said and picked me up, causing me to gasp as he threw me over his shoulder and had us down the stairs in the blink of an eyes. "There, all done," he said, smirking at me as he led the way into the cave. We were greeted by Laddie and Star. Laddie launching himself at my legs.

"Hey there, Little Man. I told you I'd be coming back!" I said, lifting him up to my hip and dancing around the room with him. "We brought you guys some pizza, I hope you like pepperoni?" I asked him, looking over at Star. Star looked put out that she hadn't gotten to go with us, but nodded.

"Pepperoni's my favorite!" Laddie shouted and chased down Marko who was holding the box over the kid's head. I giggled as I watched Marko keep bopping Laddie on the head with the pizza box before finally handing it down to him. Laddie carried the box over to Star's bed where they dug into the pizza that was still hot enough to be steaming. "Careful Laddie, it's hot, sweetheart," I said. He nodded around a gooey bite and smiled at me. "Hey Laddie," I called. He looked up as I took the two bottles of Coke out of my cross-body bag. His face lit up and he ran and grabbed the bottles from me, taking them back to Star who smiled at him and opened his bottle for him. "What do you say?" She asked him.

"Thank you, Maddie!" he said, taking another huge bite of pizza and chasing it with a swig of the soft drink.

"No problem, Laddie-boy," I replied, and sat down on the sofa next to Dwayne, who wrapped his arm around my shoulders and drew me against his side. I blushed and resisted for a moment, but his arms were like steel cables and I eventually just relaxed into his side. I turned a bit to where I could get into my bag and pulled out my drawing pad and pencil and began to sketch the image of Star and Laddie on the bed, the pizza box between them, Laddie drawing the slice away from his mouth with cheese strings going from his mouth to the slice. I snickered as a piece of pepperoni plopped back into the box and he looked defeated for a moment.

I got so caught up in the drawing that I tuned everything else out, until David called out to Paul, "Turn that music off, Paul! We have live entertainment tonight!" I looked up just as David turned his attention to me. "How bout it, Princess? Will you play for us?"

* * *

Song played is "If I Die Young" by the Band Perry


	5. Chapter 5

My eyes opened wide in surprise. "Uh, yeah, I guess. If you want me to?"

"Yeah!" "Play for us!" "Go on, play!" Paul and Marko shouted. Even Dwayne nodded, handing my violin case to me. Laddie hopped off the bed, carrying his Coca-cola and sat down on the other side of Dwayne and watched me. I looked down at him. "How 'bout it, Little Man, should I play?"

He nodded, his hair flopping in his face and his eyes filled with interest. I stood, thinking about what song I would sing. I closed my eyes and felt a breeze from the ocean wrap around me and lift my hair and I smiled, knowing what I would sing. I tapped my toe for a second to catch my rhythm.

I hear your voice on the wind  
And I hear you call out my name

"Listen, my child," you say to me  
"I am the voice of your history  
Be not afraid, come follow me  
Answer my call, and I'll set you free"

I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain  
I am the voice of your hunger and pain  
I am the voice that always is calling you  
I am the voice, I will remain

I am the voice in the fields when the summer's gone  
The dance of the leaves when the autumn winds blow  
Ne'er do I sleep thoughout all the cold winter long  
I am the force that in springtime will grow

I am the voice of the past that will always be  
Filled with my sorrow and blood in my fields  
I am the voice of the future, bring me your peace  
Bring me your peace, and my wounds, they will heal

I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain  
I am the voice of your hunger and pain  
I am the voice that always is calling you  
I am the voice

I am the voice of the past that will always be  
I am the voice of your hunger and pain  
I am the voice of the future  
I am the voice, I am the voice  
I am the voice, I am the voice

As I pulled the bow across the string, ending the last note, I noticed it was entirely silent. I opened my eyes to see very different emotions in each gaze, but a slight sense of awe radiating from all of them. I blushed and bit my lip.

"How are you not on a stage getting paid money?" Paul asked, his jaw still slightly hanging open. I giggled, and dropped stance. "Probably because I never wanted that. I enjoy playing, it's a release for me. Being on stage, that would be too much pressure constantly, I'd burn out. I don't ever want to lose my love for music," I said truthfully.

There was a tug on my shirt and I looked down to see Laddie. I crouched down in front of him. "Maddie, can I play?" he asked.

"No, Laddie, that's an expensive instrument," Star said.

I raised my hand to quiet her. I looked into his bright brown eyes. "Do you think you can be very careful and not drop it?" I asked. He nodded vigorously. "Ok, my man, follow me," I said and walked over to the couch where I sat down, all eyes on me. I showed Laddie how to hold the violin and the bow, explaining what each piece was, what the strings and frets were, and how to draw the bow across the strings. I handed the bow over and let him go at it.

We all winced when he hit a sour note, but I was rather pleased when he kept at it for a full fifteen minutes, determined to at least get the first line of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" correct. When he managed it, I applauded him, as did Dwayne. "Well done, sweetheart!" I said and kissed the top of his forehead.

"Play more for us, Maddie?" he asked. I looked around and the others nodded.

"Please, Princess. We need something beautiful after that racket," David teased Laddie.

"Alright," I agreed and stood, taking my stance. Suddenly I spotted something in the corner beside Dwayne. "Dwayne, is that yours?" I asked, using my bow to point at the acoustic guitar half-hidden beside a shelf of books. He looked surprised, but nodded. "May I?" I asked.

He handed the beautifully carved instrument to me carefully. I ran my fingers over it and let my fingertips strum the strings. It was in tune. I smiled. "This ought to make you happy, Paul," I said. I sat on the edge of the fountain, and began to play, singing along.

It's all the same, only the names will change  
Everyday it seems we're wasting away  
Another place where the faces are so cold  
I'd drive all night just to get back home

 _[Chorus:]_  
I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride  
I'm wanted dead or alive  
Wanted dead or alive

Sometimes I sleep, sometimes it's not for days  
And the people I meet always go their separate ways  
Sometimes you tell the day  
By the bottle that you drink  
And times when you're alone all you do is think

 _[Chorus 2x]_

And I walk these streets, a loaded six string on my back  
I play for keeps, 'cause I might not make it back  
I've been everywhere, and still I'm standing tall  
I've seen a million faces and I've rocked them all

'Cause I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride  
I'm wanted dead or alive  
'Cause I'm a cowboy, I got the night on my side  
I'm wanted dead or alive  
And I ride dead or alive  
I still drive, dead or alive  
Dead or alive _[4x]_

Paul's mouth hung open, his joint hanging limply from his lip. "That was AWESOME! Play something else!" he said, jumping up and dancing around. He got down on his knees in front of me and took my hands in his. "Have my babies!" he said, making me laugh.

"I don't think so, you over-libidinous marijuana fiend," I said teasingly.

He looked at Dwayne and Marko who were laughing hysterically. Even David was chuckling. "What did she say?" he asked.

"She called you a horny pot-head," Marko gasped between laughs.

Paul's whole demeanor changed and he was suddenly draping himself around me, one arm over my shoulders, the other hand high on my thigh, nuzzling into my ear. "Oh, Princess, you have no idea how very over-libidinous you make me feel," he whispered into my ear, before nuzzling into my neck and nipping at my earlobe. I gasped and jerked away, looking into his eyes and seeing that they'd gone dark with lust.

"Paul!" David admonished him. Paul pulled back just a little, but his arm was still draped over my shoulders and he was still leaning into my side. I yawned and blushed, covering my mouth. "Excuse me. One more song, before I have to get home, guys," I said. They all booed the idea, but I knew I needed to get home soon. "Any requests?" I asked.

Of course, Paul started throwing out songs there was no way I could play without a complete rock band. I heard Star speak up from the corner. "How about 'I love Rock 'n' Roll?'" she asked. The guys were immediately floored. "Yeah!" Paul said, lighting up and dancing around as I began to pick out the tune quickly on the guitar before I began to play. I used my foot to hold percussion as I started singing.

I saw him dancing there by the record machine  
I knew he must have been about seventeen  
The beat was going strong  
Playing my favorite song  
And I could tell it wouldn't be long till he was with me, yeah me  
And I could tell it wouldn't be long till he was with me, yeah me

Singing, I love rock and roll  
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby  
I love rock and roll  
So come and take your time and dance with me  
Ow!

He smiled, so I got up and asked for his name  
But that don't matter, he said, 'cause it's all the same  
He said, "Can I take you home  
Where we can be alone?"  
And next we were moving on, he was with me, yeah me  
Next we were moving on, he was with me, yeah me

Singing, I love rock and roll  
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby  
I love rock and roll  
So come and take your time and dance with me  
Ow!

He said, "Can I take you home  
Where we can be alone?"  
Next we're moving on, he was with me, yeah me  
And we'll be moving on and singing that same old song, yeah with me

Singing I love rock and roll  
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby  
I love rock and roll  
So come and take your time and dance with me

I love rock and roll  
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby  
I love rock and roll  
So come and take your time and dance with

I love rock and roll  
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby  
I love rock and roll  
So come and take your time and dance with

I love rock and roll  
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby  
I love rock and roll  
So come and take your time and dance with

I love rock and roll  
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby  
I love rock and roll  
So come and take your time and dance with me

I smiled as I finished the song, and I handed the guitar back to Dwayne. While he put it away, I placed my violin and bow in its case, rosining the bow before stowing it away. When I stood, holding my case, the other three stood as well, and Laddie bounded over. "Can I come, too?" he asked. I checked my watch and noted that it was almost four in the morning. Today was going to be a long day, I thought, remembering tonight was Lucy's date with Max and the disaster with Sam and the Frog brothers that I was determined to put a stop to.

"It's getting late, Laddie-boy. How about I tuck you in, and I will be by to see you soon?" I asked. He looked disappointed and my heart broke a little. He was such an adorable child, half-vampire or not.

"Tomorrow?" he asked, his bottom lip pooched out in a pout. I smiled and knelt down to his level, running my hands through his hair.

"I can't tomorrow, baby," I said, catching the others off guard.

"What? Why not?" I heard Paul and Marko asking.

I looked back at them and smiled before turning back to Laddie. "My mom, Lucy, has a date tomorrow with Max. I'm going to help her cook supper and keep an eye on my brother Sam," I told him. David and the boys had stiffened, almost imperceptibly to anyone but me, knowing what I did, at Max's name.

"But after tomorrow, you'll be back, right?" Laddie asked, wrapping his arms around me in a hug. "Aww, Laddie, of course I will. I promise!" I said, and hugged him back, picking him up and carrying him to the little bed the boys had made for him. I tucked him in, placing a worn-looking rabbit in his arms and kissing his forehead. I sang _The Voice_ to him again softly, as a lullabye. His eyelids fluttered for a few moments before his breathing deepened and he was asleep. I smiled and kissed his forehead again softly.

I looked up and blushed when I saw all eyes, including Star's were on me. "What?" I asked softly, "he's a sweet kid," I defended myself. David nodded towards the front of the cave. As I walked past, Star grabbed my hand and drew me into a hug. "Be careful, please? They're not what they seem," she said softly into my ear. I gave her a feigned "what do you mean?" look and headed to the front of the cave, and with help from David, managed to climb to the stairs outside.

The stars were still bright, but there was still a slight lightening of the edge of the sky. "Dawn always seems a sad time to me anymore," I said quietly. I felt a hand in mine and looked down to see Marko's hand holding my smaller one. "Why's that?" he asked. I blushed and smiled at all of them. "Because I have to tell you all good night," I answered truthfully. They all looked at each other and smiled. "So you don't fear the night time?" Dwayne asked. "For I have loved the stars too much to fear the night," I quoted, making them all smile.

"Come on, Princess, the sooner we get you home, the sooner day after tomorrow comes and we can see you again." David said, leading me up the stairs. I heard Marko and Paul whispering and felt Dwayne's stare upon my back as I gently swung my violin case in my hand. I climbed on the back of David's bike, handing my precious violin to Dwayne, who winked at me as he took it. I wrapped my arms around David's waist and we were off.

The wind was chill and I buried my face against David's jacket, inhaling the scent of cigarette smoke, leather and man, along with the coppery smell of pennies and blood. It was a strange combination, but it made me think of him. Too quickly we were pulling up at Grandpa's and I climbed off the bike. Dwayne handed me my violin, taking my hands and kissing them softly, grinning when I blushed. Marko placed his hand on the back of my neck, pulling me down for a soft kiss. I yelped when Paul drew me across his lap on his bike and used my gasp to enter my mouth with his tongue, kissing me fully. I glared at him and flicked him on his pierced ear with my fingers, but he only grinned unapologetically.

David placed his hand on the small of my back and led me to the door. I turned to say goodnight and was surprised when he pushed me up against the wall, pressing me between it and his body. I dropped my violin in shock and gasped out, "David!" before his lips were on mine, licking, nibbling and nipping at my lips, his hand gripping the back of one thigh and drawing it up to wrap partially around him, so that he ground against me gently. I could hear him growling softly as he used his tongue to part my lips, and I wrapped my hands around his shoulders, murmuring his name. He pulled back and kissed me softly one last time, with a soft stroke of his hand against my cheek. "Goodnight, Princess. Just remember we'll be thinking of you, and you'll be thinking of us. Rest well," he said and turned to climb back on his bike.

They waited until I shakily picked up my violin and was inside before leaving. I heard the bikes fading as I walked up the stairs. I stripped to my underwear and bra, unknowing that once again, they weren't far, watching me until I was in bed. My eyes drifted closed and remembering their wonderful kisses, I fell deeply asleep.

* * *

The songs in this chapter are as follows:

 _The Voice by Celtic Woman_

 _Wanted (Dead or Alive) by Bon Jovi_

 _I Love Rock 'n' Roll by Joan Jett_


	6. Chapter 6

*Note: From this point on, I might mess around a bit with the timeline just to fit things into Madison's experiences that I want in there. For instance, this chapter will have the date with Max at Grandpa's house, but Lucy hasn't taken the bottle of wine to Max's and been attacked by Thorn, because I want to play around with that scene a bit with Madison there. But while Madison was at the Cave with the boys, Michael did start flying around after nearly attacking Sam. So therefore, this dinner is an apology for Lucy having to run out on Max that night when Sam called her hysterical because Michael was flying around outside his window. Got it? Good. :)

* * *

I awoke around noon, feeling exhausted. I dragged myself out of bed and gathered together some clean clothes before running across the hallway to the bathroom. I locked myself in from the hallway and Sam's room so that I would have some privacy. I ran the water into the tub and climbed in, relaxing as the hot water soaked into my body, loosening all the tensed muscles I had from lack of sleep. I washed quickly with good old Ivory Soap and washed my hair with green apple scented shampoo. I leaned back against the tub, humming to myself, my toes tapping in the water. A knock on the door startled me, and I squeaked out a "Yeah?"

"Hey Maddie, I'm going to town, you wanna come?" Michael asked.

"No, Mom's got that date with Max tonight, I'm going to clean up the house while she's at work and get supper started. Why don't you take Sam? He can go see his little buddies at the comic store!" The instant I said it, I winced, I'd almost forgotten what those two idiots, along with Sam would end up doing to Max tonight. _Well, I'll do my best to try and keep them out of trouble_ , I thought.

"See you later, okay?" he called.

"Bye, Michael!" I yelled as he strode away from the door.

I sighed and dunked my head under the water, rinsing the shampoo out of my hair. I stood and wrapped a towel around myself, using another to partially dry my hair. I pulled the plug from the tub and listened as the water drained, whistling as I looked in the mirror, wondering what the boys saw when they looked at me. I blushed and quickly started to brush my hair out, braiding it and pinning it in a bun at the back of my head to keep it out of the way while I cleaned and cooked. I brushed my teeth and pulled on clean underwear and a matching bra, followed by a denim skirt that hung just past my knees and a light blue tank top. I pulled on a pair of socks and my tennis shoes. I spritzed myself with a single spray from the bottle of Beautiful by Estee Lauder that Lucy had gotten me for Christmas, knowing how much I hated overpowering perfumes. Beautiful was a much softer scent than most of the perfumes on the market and I missed some of my much softer perfumes from my old life. I couldn't wait 'til more of them were back on the shelves.

As I entered the kitchen, I waved to Grandpa. He was on his way out to his shed where he would do his woodworking and smoke a joint. I started cleaning, picking things up from the floor and tossing garbage away. I cleaned up the laundry from the boy's rooms and grandpa's, tossing them by colored loads into the washing machine and hanging the clean clothes outside in the sunshine to dry. I dusted and wiped down tables, did dishes and made lunch for me and Grandpa.

He smiled and kissed the top of my head when I handed him a plate with a sandwich made from my leftover meatloaf, with a side of potato chips and his root beer. "This looks delicious, Maddie-my-girl. You know how much I love your meatloaf."

I smiled and nodded. "I know, Grandpa. Sorry it's so late, dinner will be a bit later tonight, too. Will that hold you 'til later or will you need another sandwich?" I asked. He looked as if he were debating. "No, I think this will hold me," he decided. I smiled and fixed my own plate. I looked at the clock and was surprised at the time. I ate quickly, and started the spaghetti sauce for dinner. Grandpa finished his plate and put it in the sink as I was opening cans of whole peeled tomatoes and placing them in a large pot. I used my hands to squish them and added in dried Italian seasoning mix and garlic. I set the pot to simmer while I finished up dishes and started in on making the meatballs to simmer in the sauce.

Mom arrived home just as I was finishing the meatballs. She was surprised that I had everything started, but I smiled at her. "Everything's ready to go, it just needs time to cook. You go on upstairs and take a nice bath and get ready for your date. I've got everything handled down here," I said.

"Oh, Madison! Thank you, my sweet girl," she said and hugged me. I knew how excited she was, it had been so long since she'd gone out and done anything that wasn't something for me, Michael or Sam as "Mom." She needed to remember that she was still "Lucy" as well.

I plopped the meatballs into the sauce and put a lid on the pot to let them cook through. I put a tall stockpot of water on to boil for spaghetti noodles and grated parmesan cheese. I slathered bread with garlic butter, since I knew that Michael would be inviting Max inside and didn't need to worry about the garlic bothering him. I wrapped the bread in foil and placed it in the oven on very low heat to warm through.

Before too long, Lucy came downstairs. She'd put on a pretty dress and even some light makeup. "Wow, Mom! You look beautiful! Max isn't going to be able to keep his hands to himself," I teased her. She laughed and kissed my cheek before going to check on my sauce.

I pulled the tablecloth out of the drawer in the buffet cupboard and with Lucy's help, set the table beautifully. I looked up, hearing a sound and saw Grandpa closing his door to what I called his Frankenstein lab, just as Max walked into the doorway. He kissed Lucy, making her blush. "Hi Max!" I said, waving.

"Well, Madison, hello! I hear it's thanks to you that we have a lovely meal to look forward to," he said. I nodded, glad that my love of cooking from my former life had carried over to this one as well. "I try," I said, "I've got a dessert ready to go after, as well." I said. I had made a beautiful-and fast- tiramisu after lunch the day before, giving it plenty of time to soak up the flavors of the espresso and custard by tonight.

"Dessert? Oh honey, you didn't have to do that!" Mom said, happily surprised. I brushed it off. "What's a good meal without dessert, right, Max?"

"Uh, right!" He said, nodding in agreement.

Just at that moment, Sam showed up with his friends. "Mom, these are my dinner guests, Edgar and Alan Frog," he said, gesturing to the two boys dressed in almost-military-style clothing. The one boy, Edgar, had a bright red cloth tied Rambo-style around his forehead.

"Oh, I didn't know you were having guests," Lucy said, looking a little dismayed. She was already upset that Michael had already made plans and wasn't joining us and that Grandpa was hiding in his lab.

"Oh, if we're in your way we can eat peanut butter out of the jar in the kitchen," Sam said.

"Oh, that's not an issue, there's plenty for everyone," I said. "Let me go put the noodles down to boil, everyone sit down and I'll be right back with drinks." I stood and headed into the kitchen. I dropped the noodles into the boiling, salted water and stirred them, before I grabbed a pitcher of milk for Sam and the Frog brothers, and a bottle of wine for Lucy and Max, and a bottle of Sprite for myself.

I could hear the boys whispering among themselves as I walked back into the room; Max and Lucy sitting with their heads together talking about something and Lucy giggling. It made me smile and I was glad I had gotten everything off to a good start. I poured milk for the boys, noticing that Alan and Edgar kept trying to peek down my shirt and I had to struggle not to laugh as Sammy rolled his eyes. I placed my Sprite by my plate, between the Frog brothers, and carefully poured the wine for Max and Lucy. "For the Madame and Monsieur, our finest red wine," I said in a fake French accent, making them both laugh.

I set the wine on the table and walked back into the kitchen to finish up the sauce and noodles, which were ready to be drained. Lucy came and helped me prepare and carry plates, and I pulled the hot garlic bread from the oven, sliding it into a basket filled with a heated tea towel to keep it hot. I placed the Parmesan cheese in a small glass bowl and carried it to the table myself so that the boys couldn't mess with it. No raw garlic tonight! I took a plate in to Grandpa, who kissed my cheek before shutting his door again, and I returned to dining room table. I sat between the Frogs and we all began to eat.

I was happily surprised that for a while, all that was heard were soft murmurs of appreciation of good food. "So not only are you an animal charmer, and musically talented, you're a budding chef as well?" Max teased, making me blush. "I just enjoy cooking," I said.

"Yeah, and she's real good at it, too," Sam said, praising me. I smiled at him, he could be awfully sweet when he wanted to be. When Max and Lucy started talking to each other, the Frog brothers turned to Sam and nodded. _Oh no, here goes_ , I thought and then the lights were suddenly out.

"What on earth?" Lucy said.

"Must be a circuit breaker, Mom. You know how it is with these old houses," he said. I had to clamp a hand over my mouth not to laugh when I heard Edgar talk about the fact that Max wasn't glowing. Then the lights came back on and Max let out a shriek as a mirror were directly in front of him, Sam holding the extender part of it.

"Sam!" Lucy and I both shouted. He knew he was in trouble. Before he could really ruin the dinner by tossing a glass of water on Max, I stood up. "Mom, why don't you and Max go sit in the living room and I'll bring dessert in after we clear the table," I said, glaring at the three boys. Alan and Edgar gulped and Sam looked worried.

"Thank you, Madison, that sounds wonderful," she said, giving Sam a look that meant they'd be talking later. She and Max excused themselves and walked into the living room. Once I saw they were sitting on a couch, I closed the sliding door and turned back to the boys. I grabbed Edgar and Alan each by an earlobe and twisted, gaining a yelp from each of them. "Kitchen. Now. March," I said, jerking my head at Sam.

His face fell and I marched all three of them into the kitchen, letting the boys loose and sitting them down on stools around the small wooden island. "Sam, I am so disappointed in you, first of all," I said and his face fell even further. "Mom really, really likes Max, and you're acting like a spoiled, rotten brat," I said, pulling a small pan of tiramisu from the refrigerator. I placed a slice on each of two small dessert plates, along with chocolate shavings and fresh raspberries. I added two forks and put it on a tray with Grandma's old silver coffee service filled with fresh hot coffee and two sturdy white mugs. I practically shoved the tray into Sam's hands. "Now you take that into Mom and Max and you better apologize and mean it, Sam!"

He nodded and looked at me sadly. "I really am sorry, Madison," he said. I sighed and nodded, kissing his cheek. "I know you are, now go tell Mom that," I replied. He left and I turned my wrath on the two brothers in front of me. They looked at me and their complexions paled a bit under their tans and they gulped. "As for you two, you'll be joining Sam on kitchen cleanup. I'm not mad at you, but I think you're seriously misguided kids. From what Sam's told me, your home life isn't that great, but that's no excuse to come into someone's house and abuse their hospitality by playing trick's on someone's guests. Am I understood?" I said.

"Yes, ma'am," both boys answered immediately, nodding, eyes wide.

"Good, now both of you go start clearing the table," I said, just as Sam walked back into the room. I saw tears in his eyes and hugged the crap out of him as he buried his face in my side. "It's ok, Sammy," I whispered into his soft blonde hair. I kissed his temple. "Come on, we're going to clean up and then I'll give you boys dessert. Then we'll take the boys home, alright?" I asked. He nodded and went out into the dining room to help the Frog brothers.

I started filling the sink with hot water and dish soap and laughed quietly when I heard what the boys were talking to Sam about. They were trying to be quiet and failing.

Alan: Dude, your sister is hot! Why didn't you tell us she was hot? We were completely unprepared!

Edgar: And that drill sergeant demeanor? That is sexy!

Sam: Oh my god. You guys! That's my sister. She is not hot. Or sexy. God.

I giggled, I could just see Sam shuddering at the thought of his older sister being seen as sexy. Just as I opened my eyes, they came in carrying the plates and glasses. I scraped the plates into Nanook's dog bowl and put the plates in the hot water with the silverware, leaving Lucy's wine glasses out so that they didn't get broken. "Frog 1 and 2, front and center!" I said and they jerked to attention.

"Yes, ma'am?" they said in unison. I handed Edgar the washcloth to scrub the plates and handed a dish towel to Alan. "Dishes, now!"

Edgar nodded and Alan gave me a tentative smile. I returned it and pointed to the sink. They took their positions at the sink once I again I heard my name along with the words "sexy" and "dominating." I had to grit my teeth hard not to start laughing.

"Come on, Sam, we've got napkins and a tablecloth to fold," I said and he followed me into the dining room. I looked into the crack between the doorways and saw that Max and Lucy were enjoying dessert slowly, talking in between bites of the sweet dessert and sips of the bitter coffee. I hummed to myself as Sam helped me put away the tablecloth and napkins. Alan brought out the cleaned and dried "good" plates and I replaced them in the china hutch.

I walked back into the kitchen and was happily surprised to see that everything was done except for one pot that was soaking and the crystal stemware which I'd told them I would wash myself so that they wouldn't break them. I pulled out the pan of tiramisu and cut each of the boys a slice and decorated them as I'd done for Lucy and Max. I had them sit at the stools around the island while I took Grandpa his piece with no raspberries and lots and lots of chocolate shavings on top of it. He took it quickly and slammed the door almost in my face, which surprised me.

I turned to Mom and Max. "Did you two need a refill or anything?" I asked.

"No dear, everything was wonderful, thank you," Lucy said, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

"No problem, Mom. Hey, I'm going to take those boys home, ok?" I asked. She nodded and reached into her pocket and handed me her keys. "Thanks, Mom," I said. I turned to Max. "It was very nice to see you again, Max. Sorry about the issue with Sam earlier. I hope it won't deter you from coming to dinner again," I said. He looked delighted. "Well now, I think that would be very nice. Thank you, Madison," he said and stood, shaking my hand. I grinned at him, "Tell Thorn I said hello." He laughed, "I will do that. I swear, he misses you. Every time I walk in the door it's like he's looking behind me waiting for someone. I can only assume he's hoping I'll bring you home."

"Oh, before you go, Max, I've got a container of leftovers to send home with you, there was so much leftover that I know we won't eat it all, and I thought that you might like to not have to cook for yourself some night this week," I told him.

"Lucy, you definitely raised this young lady right. That is downright thoughtful of you, Madison, once again, thank you," he said and smiled, blinking widely in surprise. I smiled back, my plan to push Max and Lucy together was working! I waved goodbye to the two of them and walked back into the kitchen. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the boys had washed and put away their dessert dishes and had scrubbed and put away the remaining pot. All I had to do was wash the stemware when I got back from taking the brothers home.

"Boys, go grab your bikes, we'll put them in the back of the truck and I'll drop you off at home," I said. They nodded and just when they thought they were going to get away clean, I dropped a slight bombshell on them. "After you go apologize to Max and my Mother for your behavior."

They stopped short and turned around and looked at me in horrified wonder. "Wh..what?" Edgar choked out.

"You heard me. You embarrassed her in front of her guest. You will apologize. Now. Move!" I said, growling slightly at them. They looked at each other and then back at me. They sighed and shuffled into the living room. I heard a muffled and stilted apology, but Mom and Max graciously accepted it. "Oh, you boys are welcome anytime, I'm so glad that Sam has made some friends," I heard Lucy gush. I grinned and smiled at the boys when they came back in, surprising them by kissing them each on the cheek when they came back. They blushed bright red and hurried out to get their bikes.

"You realize you have admirers for life now, right?" Sam asked. I grinned at him. "All the easier to get them to do things for me," I said, wrapping my arm around his shoulder. "Now come on, let's get these two home so we can hurry back. I'm exhausted.

The boys had just finished putting their bikes into the back of the truck and had climbed in when Sam and I made it outside. I got into the driver's seat and put the truck into gear, and we drove back into Santa Clara. I parked just outside the back of the boy's house. I escorted them upstairs just in case their parents were semi-conscious. I wasn't surprised to see that the two of them had a ton of locks on the door. As I turned to leave, I handed them another container of leftovers that I'd packed for them.

"Any time you boys feel like a home cooked meal with lots of leftovers to bring home, you let me know through Sam, okay?" I said. I hated leaving them in this house with parents that were more interested in being high than being with their kids, but I didn't want to say anything. This was my way of telling them that someone cared about their well-being, without being pushy about it. They took the container but looked like they didn't know what to say, so I simply said goodnight.

I climbed back into the truck and saw Sammy curled up against the window on the other side, sleeping. "Hey, Sammy?" I said quietly. Her jerked awake and blinked at me. "Madison?" he asked yawning.

"The one and only," I teased him. "What do you think about hitting the convenience store for a couple of Slurpees, some chips and some chocolate?" I asked, thinking it would also give Lucy and Max some make out time.

He lit up like a Christmas tree. "Oh, can we, please?" I nodded and we drove deeper into Santa Carla to find a 7-11. We took our time choosing our slurpee flavors, and our chip and chocolate selections. I ended up with a cherry slurpee, salt and vinegar chips and chocolate covered almond toffee. Sam had a blue raspberry slurpee, doritos and chocolate covered raisins. We took our purchases back to the truck and climbed in, driving slowly back to the house so that all of our goodies were finished by the time we pulled in.

I was a bit surprised that Michael wasn't home yet, but wasn't worried. We wandered back inside to see that Max had already left and that Lucy had gone up to bed already. "Why don't you go ahead and head on up, Sam. I'm going to finish these glasses and head to bed myself," I said, yawning.

He nodded and kissed me on the cheek before Nanook joined him for the voyage up to bed. I grinned at the two of them, then turned back to the sink, filling the sink with hot water once more. As I washed the remaining dishes, I sang to myself.

 _Mama told me when I was young_  
 _"Come sit beside me, my only son_  
 _And listen closely to what I say_  
 _And if you do this it'll help you some sunny day"_

 _"Oh, take your time, don't live too fast_  
 _Troubles will come and they will pass_  
 _You'll find a woman and you'll find love_  
 _And don't forget, son, there is someone up above"_

 _"And be a simple kind of man_  
 _Oh, be something you love and understand_  
 _Baby be a simple kind of man_  
 _Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"_

 _"Forget your lust for the rich man's gold_  
 _All that you need is in your soul_  
 _And you can do this, oh baby, if you try_  
 _All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied"_

 _"And be a simple kind of man_  
 _Oh, be something you love and understand_  
 _Baby be a simple kind of man_  
 _Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"_

 _Oh yes, I will_

 _"Boy, don't you worry, you'll find yourself_  
 _Follow your heart and nothing else_  
 _And you can do this, oh baby, if you try_  
 _All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied"_

 _"And be a simple kind of man_  
 _Oh, be something you love and understand_  
 _Baby be a simple kind of man_  
 _Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"_

 _Baby, be a simple, really simple man_  
 _Oh, be something you love and understand_

I finished up the dishes, put them in the rack to drain and let the water out of the sink. I hung up my dish towel and looked around the kitchen to make sure everything was turned off and put away. I checked on Grandpa, still in his lab. "Night, Grandpa," I whispered to him.

"Goodnight, Maddie-my-girl," he replied, bent over a taxidermy piece.

I climbed the stairs and into the bathroom where I took a quick shower, but left my hair in it's braid and wrapping it in a shower cap. I wrapped myself in a towel and walked back to my room. I pulled on a pair of clean panties and one of Michael's old shirts that was nice and soft. I shook my hair out of it's braid and it tumbled around my back and shoulders in soft curls from being up so long. I sat at my vanity and brushed through it, secretly wishing my boys were there. I had a image in my head of Dwayne sitting behind me, carefully running the brush through my hair. I shivered and blushed at the thought sending a flash of heat to pool in my lower belly. I missed them and couldn't wait to see them again.

I sighed and climbed into bed, letting out a noise of pure contentment as my body relaxed into the soft bed. I drew the sheets over myself and closed my eyes and was asleep before I could utter a goodnight to the stars.

* * *

Simple Man by Lynrd Skynrd.


	7. Chapter 7

I woke the next morning to Michael coming quietly into my room and plopping onto the bed beside me. "Hey," he said, resting his chin on one hand as he looked down at me. He flicked a lock of my hair over my shoulder. I drew the sheet further up over myself. "Hey yourself," I said, my voice raw from sleep. It was then that I noticed a goofy grin on his face and he laid back and sighed in contentment.

"Oh my god, Michael!" I squealed softly.

"What?" he asked, unable to keep the grin off his face.

"You got laid," I said.

"What? No I didn't!" he said, but he blushed and bit his lip trying to hide that stupid, goofy smile. I poked him in the chest. "Yes, you did!" Oh god, I was so glad our twin connection hadn't pushed that into my brain. If it was one thing I didn't need to see, it was my twin brother having sex with Star. But I was curious. "So, how was it?" I asked, trying to be casual.

"Madison Marie!" he scolded, pretending to be scandalized. But there was humor in his eyes and that goofy grin was back after a second. "It was great," he answered honestly. "I seriously think she's the one, Maddie. I love her," he said.

I leaned over and kissed his forehead. "I'm glad, Michael. She seems like a sweet girl. I hope it all works out for you," I said honestly. I laughed when I saw that he had fallen asleep, goofy grin still in place. I quietly pulled the blanket over him and gathered a pair of jeans and a tee shirt from my bureau and tiptoed into the bathroom. I turned on the shower and climbed in as the water heated, sighing as it hit my somewhat sore muscles. I stretched under the heated spray and washed my hair. I climbed out and wiped myself down with a towel before yanking on the clean clothes I'd gathered. I noticed that the floor was a bit cold, so I took a pair of clean socks out of my drawer and pulled them on as well.

I brushed through my hair and pulled it back into a tail down my back, shivering when it swished coldly against my spine. I entered the kitchen, surprised to find it was only around 9 a.m. Sam was sitting at the table eating some cereal and I saw Lucy sitting on the porch drinking a cup of coffee. "Morning, Mom; morning, Sammy," I called out.

Lucy smiled at me and Sam just gave me a long-suffering grimace. "She's making me go with her to Max's to apologize again," he whispered to me. Oh, I remembered this part, I thought. This was where Thorn attacked Lucy and Sam got his idea about the Hounds of Hell from that stupid comic. Guess I'd have to come along and smooth things over again. I looked over to Sam. "No worries, I'll come with you," I said.

"Really?" he said, surprised. "You're a life-saver!" He finished his cereal and hugged me, dropping his bowl in the sink before running upstairs to change. I laughed and got a bowl of cereal for myself, carrying it out to the porch to sit next to Mom.

"So did you have a fabulous time with Max last night?" I asked. She looked so thoughtful, I was a bit worried.

"Hmm? Oh yes, it was wonderful," she said. "Thank you so much, Maddie, for putting so much work into it for me. It really made it a magical evening, even after that disaster with Sam and those Frog boys," she said rolling her eyes.

"Then what's wrong, Mom?" I asked.

"Oh. Oh, honey. I don't want to worry you. I'm just concerned about..." she hesitated.

"About Michael," I said. She jerked up, looking at me in surprise. "It's ok Mom, I know you're worried. But I honestly think he's going to be fine. He's just rebelling. After everything with Dad, he's just maybe feeling a little trapped."

"And what about you, lovey? Are you feeling trapped as well? I know we've only been here a few days, but I feel like you've had to pick up so much slack, looking after your Grandpa, Michael and Sam and then having to put everything together for me last night," she began.

I raised my hand to stop her. "Mom, you know I've always liked taking care of people. You've done so much for me all my life, not to mention Michael and Sam. After everything with Dad, you need to remember you're not just "Mom" anymore, you're also still "Lucy". Helping you out last night was an honor, I only wish I could have done more. As far as Grandpa, Michael and Sam, who else is going to take care of them?" I joked. "I'm just kidding. I take care of them because I love them too."

"You've always been the most considerate person I've ever met. Even as a child, you were the first one to make sure that everyone around you had what they needed or wanted before you even asked for anything. I remember when Sammy was born, you'd fix Michael a bowl of cereal so that I could feed Sam. And the first thing you did every morning was to make sure that "your" baby was alright. You'd open the door, and climb up the crib to peek in on him and make sure he was still breathing," Mom said, reminiscing.

I smiled, remembering that. I'd done the same thing for my younger sister my first time around. Apparently some things never change. Lucy continued, "I just don't want you to miss out on things because you're taking care of us. You should be out on dates and having experiences I can get angry and shout at you about. Try your first cigarette and your first taste of alcohol so you'll decide you never want to start drinking or smoking. Try a joint so I can yell at you and then tell you about all the times I got high as a teenager," she said, laughing.

"I've made some friends already, Mom, and they make me happy. Plus, I've never really been much of a party-er. I like being around a few friends who are close, I don't like being around a ton of people, especially when they're drinking. I think we all had enough of that with Dad's business parties," I said, shuddering at the memories of those uncomfortable get-togethers. I decided to change the subject. "Sam says you're going over to Max's this morning?"

"Yes. I thought I'd take him a bottle of wine to apologize for Sam and those boys' behavior last night," she said.

"Well, I'm sure he doesn't feel you need to, but since you're going, do you care if I come? Then I can take Sam to the board walk, drop you off at work and pick up groceries. Oh, and do you mind if I go to the boardwalk tonight?" I asked.

She laughed. "You just want to see Thorn again, don't you?"

I blushed. "Guilty. He's such a sweetheart, and he's such a pretty dog. I wish I'd seen him as a puppy, I bet he was adorable. So is that a yes?" I asked.

She nodded. "Go put your shoes on and yell for Sam. You can help me choose a bottle of wine, too."

"You got it, Mom!" I said, kissing her on the head as I took my bowl to the sink, washed it and Sammy's quickly and headed upstairs. I quietly pulled my shoes on in my room so as not to wake up Michael. I pulled my light-lock-out curtains closed and took off his shades and shoes, pulling him up on the bed farther and covering him with the blanket. I pushed his hair back off his brow and smiled, he looked so sweet and innocent laying there. "Rest well, brother-mine," I whispered to him.

I knocked on Sam's door. "Sam, come on, Mom's ready to go. I'm going to drop you off at the Frog's, after we leave Max's," I said. He jerked the door open, that sweet smile on his face. We hurried downstairs and while Lucy and Sam headed out to the truck, I checked on Grandpa quick-like. I knocked on the door to his lab and heard his softly called "Yeah?"

I opened the door. "Hi Grandpa. Mom, Sam and I are going to town. I'm going to the store, do you need anything? Stock up on your root beers and double-thick oreos?" I said with a grin.

He grinned back at me. "Well, I could do with some root beers, come to think of it. And some rolling papers," he said with a grin.

I rolled my eyes. "What would you like for dinner tonight, Grandpa?" I asked.

"I don't suppose you could make baked chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans? I haven't had that since your Grandma passed away, bless her soul," he said.

I smiled. Baked chicken was one of my specialties. "Your wish is my command, Sahib," I teased, playfully bowing. I wrote his root beer, rolling papers, and supper request down on my list and hurried out to the truck. I climbed in beside Sam, trapping him between me and Lucy. As we drove, I started singing along with the radio softly, smiling when both Sam and Lucy joined me.

We stopped at the wine store and I went inside with Mom. "We'll be right back, Sam," I told him, making him stay in the truck. Mom and I wandered around for a little bit and I kept getting drawn back to the section of home made local wines. "How about this one, Mom? It's a local cordial made from raspberries," I said, pointing it out.

"That sounds lovely, Madison," she said and picked up the bottle. The owner wrapped the bottle up in a cute little cloth bag and Lucy and I walked back out to the truck. We climbed back in and drove out to Max's house. "Wow, nice place," I said appreciatively. It was a nice house, a white adobe style surrounded by white picket fence.

I got out of the truck with Mom and saw Thorn immediately. He growled lightly when he saw Mom, but stopped when he heard my voice. He whined and hurried down the sidewalk and small bridge to me, nuzzling into my hand and I sat down on the bridge as he butted his head into my shoulder. "Go ahead and put the wine on the porch, Mom. If you leave it here, someone might take it," I said.

"Ok, great idea, Madison," she said. She wandered up to Max's house, not hearing the light growl from Thorn.

I popped him on the nose with my fingertip. "That's enough of that, she's not hurting anything. And she quite likes your master. You behave yourself, pup," I said. He whined and looked at me pitifully, so I began to vigorously pet and scratch him, laughing when he plopped himself over onto his back on top of my legs like the world's biggest lapdog. I waited until Lucy was back outside of the gate before I told Thorn "up!" and he stood off my legs. "Good boy," I said, petting him. "Now you've got to stay here and watch out for Max, got it?" I asked. I would have sworn that he nodded at me. "I'll see you again soon, Thorn," I told him and walked back to the truck and climbed in next to Sam.

"Happy now that you got your Thorn fix?" Mom asked me and I laughed.

"Yep, I'm good, thanks Mom," I said.

"I still don't know what you see in him, he looks like a monster!" Sam said, shivering. I laughed as Thorn poked his nose between the bars of the gate as if he wanted to come with us. "Let's get out of here," Sam said, and Lucy drove away.

When we reached Max's Video, I switched places with Mom and climbed behind the steering wheel. "So, if I let you hang out with Edgar and Alan, you're not going to come up with anymore silly ideas about scaring off Max, are you?" I asked, forgetting about the fact that Michael had gone flying around the room the night before last and scared him half to death.

"No, we'll probably just hang around the comic store," Sammy said.

"Ok, good. I'm going to the store, then home to start supper. Be home by five-thirty, got it?" I asked, seeing that it was about noon now. He nodded and jumped out of the truck as I pulled up beside the comic store/Frog boys' house. "See you later, Sammy!" I called and waved at him and the Frogs. They waved back and I pulled away from the curb, driving to the nearest large grocery store I could find.

I hummed to myself as I shopped, making sure to grab Grandpa's items, as well as snacks for the rest of us and sandwich meat for Sam's constant sandwiches. I picked out a nice three pound chicken, red-skinned potatoes for mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. A few other items and I was ready for checkout. The checkout boy kept making eyes at me and I smiled at him, trying not to laugh. In my previous life, no one had ever been attracted to me because of my obesity, I was always the girl with "the pretty face", but a body nobody wanted. Here, because of all I had done to be healthier this time around, I was wanted for both body and pretty face.

The bag-boy put everything into large paper bags without me having to ask him to double bag, he did it automatically, which I was thankful for. I put the bags in the seat next to me and climbed into the truck and drove back home. Grandpa came out to help me carry groceries in, and I put everything away except for the chicken. I cleaned it, patted it dry and seasoned it well with salt and pepper and rubbed the skin with softened butter. I stuffed the cavity with onion and celery and put it in a roasting pan, covering it with the top and placed it in the oven to bake on a low setting.

While the chicken baked, I headed upstairs to my room. Sometime while we were gone, Michael had woken and moved to his own room, so I climbed into bed and took a short nap while I could, since I knew I'd be up all night with David, Dwayne, Paul and Marko. I set my alarm for four-thirty. That would give me plenty of time to nap, and then finish supper.

I closed my eyes and drifted off in the slightly over-warm room. It felt like only minutes had gone by when the alarm began to blare; but I sat up and turned it off, stretching my back as I stood. I went into the bathroom and wiped my face and arms down from sweating while sleeping, then headed back downstairs too the kitchen.

I opened the oven and smiled as the whole house was suddenly flooded with the scent of baking chicken. I pulled open the roaster pan and flipped the chicken breast-side up so that it would brown and put it back into the oven without the lid on this time. I closed the oven door and turned the oven up a little to brown the chicken skin a little better. I took the small red-skinned potatoes and cut the into chunks, putting them in a cold pot of water on the stove before turning the heat on to cook them. The green beans I cut in half, taking off the tips and put them in a sheet pan, sliding them in the oven with the chicken to roast.

Before long, Sam was walking through the door, Lucy behind him, Maria having dropped her off since I had the truck. Grandpa peeked out of his lab just as Michael came walking downstairs. "Hey, everybody, perfect time, dinner's almost ready," I said.

While they all washed up and got comfortable, I mashed the potatoes with butter, milk, salt and pepper. I took the chicken out of the roasting pan and cut it up, holding some back with mashed potatoes in two small containers for Laddie. The green beans got the same treatment with butter, salt, and pepper, some held back for the little man. I put his containers in my cross-body bag for later. I put everything else in bowls to be served and the chicken on a platter. Michael and Sam set the table just as Mom and Grandpa came into the dining room.

"Madison, this looks absolutely delicious," Lucy said, sitting down.

"Maddie-my-girl, you outdid yourself. It looks like it might be better than your Grandma's, god rest her!" Grandpa said, rubbing his hands together and making me smile. I dished up chicken for everyone, and the bowls of mashed potatoes and green beans were passed around. Lucy led us in a small prayer quickly and we began to eat. There were only small noises of delight for a few minutes as everyone began to eat. It was good, even I had to admit it. By the time dinner was eaten and we'd all told about our days, the sun was sinking below the horizon.

"Boys, since Madison cooked, it's only fair that you clean up," Lucy said, and though there were playful groans, they nodded, not really upset. Besides, I had kept up with the dishes while cooking, the supper plates and silver ware were all they had to wash.

"Mom, I'm going to the boardwalk, okay?" I asked. She nodded and I grabbed the keys to the truck from the hall hook along with my denim jacket and bag. I checked to make sure the containers of food were there still for Laddie and climbed into the truck. The drive seemed to take forever because I was in such a hurry to see my boys.

I pulled into the parking lot and locked the truck up, heading up to the wooden-planked boardwalk. I wandered for a while, listening for the sound of the boys' motorcycles. I yelped when a pair of arms wrapped around me from behind, pulling me back against a strong chest. I heard laughter and a warm voice in my ear had me relaxing immediately. "Good evening, Princess. We missed you."

"Dwayne!" I crowed happily and turned, wrapping my arms around him. He grinned down at me and kissed the tip of my nose before wrapping his arms around my shoulders. "I didn't hear your bikes, so I didn't know if you were here already or not," I told them.

"We were here, Princess, just had a bite to eat before coming up to find you," David said, his arms coming from Dwayne's other side to wrap around my waist and he kissed me on the temple. I knew exactly the kind of "bite to eat" he was referring to. I wondered who was going to be added to the missing persons board tomorrow. But that was not the way to think, I told myself. They were vampires, they had to feed as well.

"So, our lovely Lady, what do you want to do this fine evening? Your wish is ever our command," Marko said, winking at me and walking backwards in front of us, playing with Paul, who kept trying to trip him.

"Anything?" I asked. All four of them nodded. "Truthfully, I want to go back to the cave and just spend time with you. I missed you all and just want to be away from everyone else and spend time with you all," I said. Their smiles grew wider and I squeaked as Dwayne picked me up in his arms bridal style and twirled me around in a circle.

"To the batcave!" Paul shouted, making me laugh. We walked, well, they walked, Dwayne carried me, back to their bikes. I climbed on behind Dwayne and they gunned the bikes, and then we were flying along the sandy beach towards the cave. When we arrived, I laughed when Paul picked me up from the back of Dwayne's bike and threw me over his shoulder, running with me down the stairs, the boys right behind us.

"Put me down, you lunatic!" I yelled, my voice making up-and-down octaves as we hit the stairs and my wind got cut off. They all laughed and he finally did put me down once we reached the cave. I lightly smacked him on the head as he ran behind me and tickled me. I laughed and he caught me again, sitting down and pulling me into his lap, sighing happily and nuzzling into the back of my neck. As I relaxed back against him, there was a loud scuffling sound and a small body slammed into me.

"Whoa, chill out, Little man," Paul said, as Laddie climbed into my lap on top of him. "Laddie!" I cried, smiling at him. "I have something for you, sweetheart," I said. He looked surprised. I reached into my bag and handed the containers to him. "I brought you some supper."

"What, nothing for us, love?" asked Dwayne.

I shrugged. "I figured you all would have eaten already, but I knew he'd just be waking up around now and would be hungry," I answered. He nodded, and I had to try not to laugh again, knowing the type of meal they'd have already gotten. "But if you're still hungry, and want to do a groceries run, I can show you the things I can do over an open fire," I said.

David's face went thoughtful. "Marko!" he called. Marko looked up from where he had been playing with one of his pigeons.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Princess is going to cook for us, take a list from her of what she needs and hurry back," he said.

"What's my budget?" I asked.

He quirked a brow at me and smirked. "Trust me, sweetheart, we can accommodate whatever you want to fix us. We're just honored you're willing to do so," he said, his voice softening.

I smiled and gave Marko a short list. He looked at me in surprise, before nodding and hurrying out of the cave. "Well now, what shall we do while we wait?" I said, teasingly.

Paul pulled my hair away from the side of my neck and nuzzled into it. "I can think of a few things," he said suggestively. I blushed and leaned back against him, surprising him. "I'm sure you can, darling," I said. I could feel him smile against the skin of my throat and I gasped when he nipped it lightly, earning a sharp "Paul!" from David and Dwayne.

Laddie, meanwhile, was sitting beside us, devouring the chicken leg I'd packed in the container for him while looking like what Paul was doing was no different than any other night. I honestly hoped Paul wasn't constantly bringing chicks back here and exposing Laddie to this type of behavior. "Is it good, Little man?" asked Dwayne. Laddie nodded, "Best I ever haved," he said.

"Had," I automatically corrected. Laddie looked up at me and I corrected his sentence. "The best I have ever had, is the proper way to say it, sweetheart," I said.

"The best I've ever had," he said and smiled proudly. "Good job, sweetheart," I replied. I watched him toss his bone into one of the barrels and I pulled a spoon from my bag for him to eat the mashed potatoes and green beans.

I started humming to myself, closing my eyes and leaning back against Paul, whose arms tightened around me, his face buried in my hair and felt him breathe deeply, and I would have sworn I heard a soft almost purring sound come from his chest. Dwayne had pulled a book from one of the shelves and David just watched Paul and I, a slight smile on his face. I watched as he got up and stalked towards us, Laddie moving to the other couch automatically out of David's way, as a wolf pup would the alpha wolf. David leaned over, running his gloved hand along my chin and pulling me forward and kissing me.

I leaned up into the kiss, feeling Paul's arms slide down to my hips and gripping them. I blushed as I felt him start to grind against me a bit as he kneaded my hips and as David deepened the kiss. I felt and heard, more than saw, Dwayne stand and come towards us as well. As David kissed me, Dwayne nuzzled into the crook where my throat met my shoulder, making me whimper softly and all three boys groaned. David pulled back, kissing along my jaw to my ear softly, making me shudder.

David ran his thumb over my kiss-swollen lips and smiled. "Beautiful," he whispered and I blushed. Then we heard footsteps coming our way, and Marko appeared in the doorway, a couple of grocery bags in his hands. He saw how we were all arranged and groaned. "Why do I always miss all the fun?" he asked. I blushed, but stood up and took the bags from him. I set them on the fountain edge that was cleared of candles and wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned in and kissed him. He growled into the kiss, yanking me against him, probably a little harder than he meant to. He wrapped one arm around my waist, his other hand sneaking up into my hair and holding me tighter against him. I blushed and tried to pull back from him, but he wasn't letting go. David called his name sharply and Marko growled, pulling back, his eyes flashing gold. I heard a quick hiss from David and Dwayne, but pretended not to have noticed anything. I ran my fingertips over Marko's cheek. He sighed and let me go. "Were you able to find everything?" I asked.

"Yes, my Princess," he said, once again his cheerful, playful self. I smiled and wandered over to the bags. The boys watched in surprise as I found an old refrigerator grate and put it over one of the burn barrels, adding a few logs to give the burn barrel a bit more heat in order to cook instead of just providing mostly light. Within a few minutes, I had four steaks grilling over the flames, with a side of asparagus and large portabello mushrooms roasting on the side. I flipped the steaks after giving them just long enough to get grill marks. I took the melamine plates that Marko had found and placed the very rare steaks onto them, along with the asparagus and mushrooms. I passed the plates around and sat back and watched.

David looked at me oddly. "How did you know we like our steaks rare?" he asked. I shrugged. "Most people do. I'm a bit odd, I like mine medium rare, just a touch of pink in mine. Everyone else I know likes theirs rare. Except my Dad, he likes his practically burnt, but he's an idiot. Completely ruins a good steak."

I listened as the boys ate, grinning as they unknowingly were grunting and growling over the still-bloody steaks, the asparagus, and the mushrooms. I sipped on the lemonade that Marko had picked up for me. While the boys ate, Laddie came and plopped himself in my lap, and from my bag, I pulled out one of the books I had enjoyed as a young child and began to read to him.

"What are you reading?" Dwayne asked between bites.

"The Lord of the Rings," I replied as I was switching pages. I noticed that Laddie was starting to get tired and was surprised when I looked at my watch and saw that it was five-thirty already. It seemed like the night had flown by. I yawned and put him to bed, tucking him in and singing him to sleep.

"It's too late to take you home, Princess. You're staying here today, we'll take you home tomorrow," David said and I nodded. "So where will I be sleeping?' I asked. David took my hand, pulling me along behind him. "We've renovated some of the old rooms for our use," he said, as the other three followed us. He pulled me into a room that was dark as a tomb other than a few lit candles. An enormous bed was fitted with wine red sheets and lots of comfortable pillows and quilts. I smiled and took off my jacket, but felt a little hesitant to take anything else off.

"Only what you're comfortable with, Princess, we'd never ask more of you," Dwayne said in my ear softly, making me shiver. I blushed and bit my lip, trying to be brave as I removed my jeans, knowing I wouldn't sleep well with them on. I felt Dwayne's breath in my ear lash out in a soft whoosh and climbed into the bed before I lost my nerve. I felt Dwayne climb in behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist. I felt his body, big and warm back against mine. He'd removed his jacket and his bare chest was warm ot against my back. David slid in on my other side, his ice chip eyes on me. He used his teeth to pull his gloves off and put them on the bedside table, running his fingertips against my cheek gently. I suddenly noticed that Marko was at the end of the bed, and was playing with my toes, and I giggled. Paul was suddenly in the bed behind David.

I was surrounded by my vampire-boys and couldn't feel happier or safer. I lay back in Dwayne's arms, my eyelids fluttering closed as sleep began to wash over me. "That's right, Princess, sleep. Sleep and dream of us, as we will dream of you," David whispered. Dwayne's lips came to rest just behind my ear and I sighed in pleasure as he kissed and licked just behind it. I whimpered when he stopped, sleep finally drawing me in.


	8. Chapter 8

I awoke that night surrounded by the bodies of my boys. I had turned on my side sometime during my sleep, and Dwayne's arms had come around me tighter, pulling me back against him. David's hand had taken one of mine, his face to mine, his lips pressed against my knuckles. Paul's tall form had somehow curled just over David's, his hand grasped my other and was laying my palm flat against his cheek. And my lovely Marko had worked his way further up my body, his head rested just above my knees, his arms wrapped around my legs just at the bend of my knees. I smiled as I looked around me.

The candles that had been set up this morning were mostly out; a couple were guttering their last breaths, leaving the room in inky darkness. I smiled as I looked around me at my boys. I made a content sighing noise and tried to stretch a little, but they gripped me too tightly. I murmured their names quietly. Dwayne just held me tighter, and I felt his lips against my earlobe, making me shiver and heat pool in my core. Apparently my arousal awoke them, because David's eyes opened, followed by Paul's and Marko's. I couldn't see Dwayne's, but I felt him tense for a moment before his thumb began to rub circles just under my breasts. When their eyes first opened, they flashed gold before returning to normal and I had to tamp down my excitement a bit.

"Good evening, Princess," David said, rubbing a soft fingertip along my jaw before pressing it against my lips. I blushed and let him push it into my mouth and watched him go slightly slack-jawed and his eyes glazed when I nipped it. I felt a sudden pang run through me and groaned, catching all their attentions. I blushed and looked at David. "As much as I hate to interrupt, I'm afraid I need to make use of the closest bathroom," I said softly. Great, I thought, surrounded by hungry, horny vampires and I have to pee!

He nodded. "Dwayne, take Madison down the hall. There's that old bathroom there with the sunken tub we retrofitted a few years back," he reminded Dwayne.

"Come on, Princess," Dwayne said, making me squeal as he lifted me into his arms, stood and stepped over the bodies of David, Marko and Paul. He jumped down from the bed, making me yelp in fright of falling, and the others laughed. Dwayne landed solidly on both feet and carried me down the hallway and two door down on the right side, there was indeed a bathroom. It was lit up by moonlight, and was a beautiful rendition of an old roman bath house, as Victorians would have lovingly rebuilt it. A ceramic toilet with the old fashioned pull-top was on one side, and in the middle of the room was a sunken tub.

"Everything works, the tub will fill and drains, too. We all use it and it's deep enough for all of us," he said, grinning at me. I laughed and pushed him out of the room. "I'll be right out, won't be but a moment," I said.

"I'll be right outside to carry you back, my Princess. Don't make us wait," he said, bending over to run his lips over mine. I blushed. "Wouldn't dream of it," I said quietly, making him chuckle.

As I promised, I used the facilities quickly, washing my hands in the tub, which had a supply of constantly running water like a fountain. "Dwayne?" I called out, stepping carefully over a few rocks on the ground as I walked back to the doorway. He appeared at my side in a moment, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into his chest, causing me to tip my head back to see him. "You called, Princess?"

I chuckled. "Finished," I said to him. He smiled and pulled me up to my tiptoes to kiss me. He then proceeded to toss me over his shoulder and carry me back to the bedroom where the boys were still laying. While we'd been gone, Paul and most likely Marko had found many more candles and they littered every surface of the room around the outer walls, but none too close to the bed or it's draperies. I was surprised to see them all still there, though they had moved a bit. David was leaning against the headboard, smoking, his black shirt and jacket off . Paul was at the bottom of the bed and had pulled his mesh shirt off, too. "Marko, send Star and Laddie to the boardwalk so that we can spend some time with our Princess," David ordered. Marko nodded and walked out of the room.

While he was gone, Dwayne set me down gently on the edge of the bed, quickly climbing into the bed behind me. He began to massage my shoulders and I began to loosen up under his fingertips. Marko returned, and I watched as he removed his fingerless gloves and pulled his shirt over his head, his jacket already on the chair in the corner. I blushed as he revealed more of his skin than I'd seen before, almost performing a strip tease for me. Apparently none of them were at all shy about showing off their bodies, nor should they be because all four of my guys were quite fit.

"Come here, Princess," David ordered, beckoning me to him. I blushed, remembering that I had no pants on and while long enough to go to my thighs, my shirt was going to ride up over my hips if I moved much. I still was not that confident about my body after being so obese in my other life. I felt him lean forward and then his hand was at the back of my neck, gently pulling me forward onto my knees and I walked on my knees to him. He pulled me down to kiss him, his hands sliding into my loose hair, one hand sliding down my back, the other to my ass; I gasped into his kiss and felt him smile against my lips as he gently lifted me just enough to have me straddling him.

I looked up into his eyes and they were darker and I shivered. "Don't be afraid, Princess," he whispered. "I am not afraid of any of you," I said, truthfully. l leaned back a little and pulled my shirt over my head, hearing their intake of breath as I tossed it to the side. "God, you're beautiful, Madison," Marko gasped out. I turned in time to see him rise to his knees and climb over Paul and come up behind me, kissing along my shoulder and shoulder blade. l whimpered when he flicked his tongue against my earlobe and that seemed to be a signal, each boy took a section of flesh.

Marko continued his assault on my shoulder blade with kisses and nips. Paul moved to cup my breasts from behind, his calloused thumbs sending shivers along my spine as they slid over aching nipples. David had wrapped an arm around my lower back, pulling my hips forward to him and was licking and nipping along my outer thigh for the moment, but with each nip was moving closer to my inner thigh. Dwayne had tipped my head back and was savoring my lips, pressing light kisses at each tip before pressing them harder against the middle of my mouth and licking along the seam to make me open my mouth to him. It was strangely erotic and a little frightening at the same time, being held in such a way, the feeling that I could fall, yet knowing that these were not ordinary human beings and they would never let me fall.

I placed one hand on the back of Dwayne's neck, as I kissed him back and my other hand rested lightly on the top of David's head. As if receiving approval, David dragged my hips forward, shifting my body towards him, causing everyone else to shift a bit as well. Paul and Marko laid my upper half back on the bed, Dwayne following my lips with his. David shifted me again, to where my legs and feet were on either side of his hips and he was leaned forward over my thighs. Paul and Marko moved, one to each breast, causing me to cry out in pleasure as each took a nipple in their mouth. David nuzzled and licked and nipped along the inner sides of my thighs and Dwayne's kisses were deeper and longer.

When David moved to take my clit in his mouth, I screamed out my pleasure into Dwayne's mouth. Paul and Marko clamped their hands around my wrists and assaulted my nipples and breasts with pleasure as they used their tongues and teeth to lick, nip, and suck. I arched up off the bed, back bowing as the first orgasm ripped through my body. I think I must have passed out, because I opened my eyes a little while later to find several sets of worried/relieved/smug eyes fixed upon me.

"You are exquisite, darling," David said softly, and the others nodded in agreement. He pushed himself up to lean over me, the others moving out of his way. He kissed me and I tasted myself on his lips. "You know none of us will ever hurt you, don't you?" he asked, his eyes very serious. I nodded and he smiled at me, balancing on one hand and running a fingertip over my lips. "Good girl," he said, pressing his lips to my ear. I had a hard time making out his words, I was so caught up in the sensation of his lips and hot breath against my post-orgasmic skin. "Now, I'm going to watch while Dwayne fills your tight little body with every throbbing inch of himself. While he ravishes you and makes you scream for him, for us. Would you like that, Precious?" The way he said it left me breathless and I could only nod my assent. He grinned and kissed me quickly.

I felt David move and Dwayne's heavier body replace it, but could see David's face inches from mine on the side. Paul and Marko on my other side. I gaped as I watched them start kissing and heavily petting each other, and I blushed as I felt wetness pool at my thighs, causing David and Dwayne to chuckle and Paul and Marko to grin at me as they smelled my arousal. Dwayne's hand gently tugged my face to his, kissing me as I watched from the corner of my eye as Paul shoved Marko down on the bed, doing something with his hands that caused Marko to cry out in pleasure. I closed my eyes, sensation flooding my skin as Dwayne slid his lips over my collarbone and I arched against him. David's voice came softly from the side, "That's right Princess, feel it all, absorb every sensation."

I felt Dwayne raise my leg, pushing it up as he rocked against my core, causing my eyes to open, staring into his dark ones. My clit throbbed against the hardness of his hot member as he slid along my slit, slicking himself with my wetness. "Are you ready for me, Love?" Dwayne whispered in my ear. "Yes, Dwayne, please!" I heard myself begging softly. And then he was there, slowly pushing inside my tight entrance, causing me to gasp out in slight pain. I stiffened under him as he pressed against the thin membrane that branded me an innocent, and watched as his eyes flashed gold for a second before I heard him whisper, "I'm sorry, Precious," and draw back before shoving forward and through it. It stung, and I buried my face into his chest, crying out softly.

I felt hands running through my hair, grasping my hands and wiping away my tears as my boys comforted me. I opened my still-tearing eyes to see Dwayne's eyes looking anguished and I leaned up to kiss him. He groaned as I innocently squeezed him tighter inside me as I moved. "God, Princess don't do that just yet, I don't want to hurt you more," he said, tucking damp hair behind my ear. "Please, Dwayne," I whimpered, aching inside, for completion. He groaned, but nodded, moving again, slowly at first, but faster when I didn't wince and held him to me instead. Soon he had lifted my hips, wrapping my thighs around him and he was pounding deep and hard inside me, causing me to gasp his name and cry it out. I felt that heat building up again, my nails digging into his shoulders as I panted against his chest. And then I exploded, screaming out my pleasure to them all. Dwayne wasn't far behind and I heard his growl/hoarse yell as he came, pouring his seed inside me. From our right, I heard a pair of similar cries as Paul and Marko finished, and I pretended not to see Paul's fangs buried into the side of Marko's throat.

Dwayne was covering that side of my face in soft kisses and whispering to me in a language I didn't know but sounded beautiful. I opened tired eyes to see David staring at me, his eyes almost luminous blue in the dark room as his lips curled in a smile. He was leaned up on one arm and reached over, rubbing his thumb over my lips. "Exquisite, absolutely exquisite, Precious. Rest now, we still have all night," he said.

As if it had been an order (and it might have been for all I knew), my eyes fluttered closed, still held close by Dwayne who continued his soft ministrations to my face, chest and shoulders. I vaguely felt sheets pulled up around me to keep me from becoming chilled before sleep took me deeper. When I awoke, I was warm from bodies surrounding me, and slightly sore when I gently stretched. The soft voices around me stopped and I looked to see my boys looking down lovingly at me. Of course I blushed, because they were all still as naked as I was.

"Welcome back, beautiful," Marko said, leaning over to kiss me. I smiled against his lips as I kissed him back. "Hi," I said, feeling a bit shy.

"How do you feel, Princess?" Dwayne asked. I looked over to find him sitting up against the headboard, and that David was the one laying beside me, his arm draped over my side and pulling me back against him; he was nuzzling into the side and back of my neck where he'd pushed my long hair over my shoulder to drape across my breasts. I smiled and turned my head back to kiss David. "Amazing," I replied, blushing.

I looked over to see Paul and Marko were dozing lightly on the other side of the enormous bed, Marko sprawled over Paul's chest. I moaned softly as David's fingertips ran along my thigh before pulling it up and drawing it back over his legs. I could feel the tip of his member against my slit as he rubbed it back and forth, wetting it and sliding it against my clit, causing it to begin throbbing again. With a sudden thrust, he was deep inside me, causing me to gasp out his name. "That's my good girl," he whispered into my ear, his hands on my hips as he started thrusting hard and fast, burying himself balls deep into my core. The sound of slapping skin filled the room as he filled me again and again. I turned my face back to kiss him as he continued thrusting, one of his arms tight around my stomach, the other gripping my shoulder and shoving me down onto his cock with every upward thrust he gave. "David! David!" I heard myself mewling for him as he suddenly flipped me onto my stomach, raising me to my hands and knees and he slammed back into me.

I saw that Marko and Paul were awake now and watching hungrily as David pounded into me from behind, listening to my mewls and cries as another orgasm built up inside me. Suddenly David's pace sped up, harder and faster and his hand came down between my thighs, his fingers firm and swirling against my clitoris and my back bowed as I wailed out my ecstasy. David lifted me back against him, his arms around my shoulders as he thrust a few more times before coming almost silently, with only a low growl into my ear as he emptied himself inside me. Meanwhile, I continued to throb around his member and he wiped my brow, whispering "Good girl," over and over again as he gently lowered me to the mattress.

My eyes closed as I tried to even out my breathing. I smiled, eyes still shut, as I felt soft kisses along my spine and across my shoulders. I opened my eyes slowly to find Marko kissing my shoulder, and from the blonde hair trailing down my side, it was Paul kissing down my spine. "Hello, beautiful," Marko said softly, leaning in to kiss me gently. I hummed his name quietly, reaching up for him as he tugged me up into his lap, Paul following, still kissing down my spine. I saw that David and Dwayne were both leaning against the headboard watching now; David smoking one of his cigarettes, Dwayne watching every movement of the younger two. I got the impression that he was ready to snatch me away if they lost control. And while David appeared calm, there was a seriousness in his eyes that led me to believe that he, too, was ready to snap out an instant order if need be.

Marko pulled me to where I was straddling him and he slipped inside of me, burying his face between my breasts. I winced just a little in soreness but breathed through it. "That's it, baby, just breathe," he whispered in my ear before he thrust up gently, taking the tip of my left breast in his mouth and laving it with his tongue. My head fell forward against his shoulder in bliss and I continued to ride his gentle thrusts.

I jumped a bit when I felt Paul behind me, dripping a cold fluid against my ass. "Shhh, just breathe, baby," he whispered into my ear, as I felt him press a fingertip against my hole. I blinked in surprise, I knew about anal, of course; in my previous life sex was so much more talked about, including things that during the 80's most people would have been horrified at. But I had never tried it, so I was a bit surprised at this development. But I leaned forward, gazing into Marko's eyes and Paul gently pushed, slipping his finger into my ass.

"Oh god, girl. So tight," he whined. Marko kissed me as Paul used his finger to slowly loosen the tight ring of muscle, adding a second finger and scissoring them to stretch me further. I gasped when I felt his dick pressing against me. Marko pulled me up a little, holding me steady. "Shhh, baby. Just remember to breathe, Princess," he whispered in my ear. I nodded, burying my face into Marko's shoulder as I felt Paul begin to press the tip of his cock deeper into my ass. I whimpered softly as he slid past the tight sphincter of muscle, breathing in soft pants and pushing downward as he told me until he was buried to the hilt inside me. I gasped at how full I felt, breathing hard, before I allowed the boys to start moving, gently at first, but slowly gathering speed and strength.

"Fuck! Your ass is so tight, Princess!" Paul cried out during a particular hard thrust that had me mewling into Marko's throat. I started to feel the orgasm building much faster this time, due to so much stimulation. Within a short time, I was panting, then screaming as I seemed to burst from the inside out, flashes of light against my closed eyelids as I cried out for both boys. Paul came first, laying over my back as he buried his face in the side of my throat, shouting hoarsely as he spilled inside me. Marko waited until Paul pulled away and slowly out of me before pushing me back on the bed and started to pound himself inside me until he too exploded, shooting jets of hot seed deep into my womb. He laid his head gently on my shoulder, a soft smile on his face.

I yawned widely and blushed, making the others chuckle. "Feeling alright there, love?" David asked quietly. I merely hummed. "Bit thirsty," I answered after a minute. He nodded and looked at the others. "Marko, bring me my wine," he said quietly. The others were instantly at attention, looking at David in surprise. I closed my eyes and pretended to be oblivious. I did actually manage to doze for a few minutes before Marko returned, having pulled on his jeans, but leaving them unbuttoned. "Love?" David called softly, and I opened my eyes. "Hmm?" I asked softly.

"Drink this. Be one of us," he said softly.


	9. Chapter 9

David held out the bottle to me, and the scent of the blood wafted under my nose. There was a trace of wine there, I could smell the alcohol; but underneath, overpowering it, was the scent of copper. Blood. I sat up on my knees, taking the bottle from him. They all watched with baited breath and curious eyes as I looked over the bottle. "Isn't this the bottle you had Michael drink from?" I asked. David nodded.

"The one Star said was filled with blood?" I said, grinning. David's smirk reappeared, his eyes cold. "She was teasing him," he said. "Like you were, telling him his rice was maggots and that the noodles were worms?" I said, teasing him just a bit. He nodded.

I moved to straddle him, taking a swig from the bottle and holding it in my mouth. I kissed him, passing the blood to him, feeling him shudder as the blood moved across his tongue. I grinned at him and repeated the process with each of the boys, laughing when Paul chased after my mouth. They began chanting my name softly and I smiled and tipped the bottle back, taking a long drink from the bottle, causing them to applaud. I passed the bottle back to David, laying back on the bed, exhaustion finally hitting me after so busy a night with my new lovers. I pulled him and Dwayne down next to me, Marko wrapping himself around my legs and using my thighs as a pillow. Paul contented himself by laying as he had earlier in the evening, with his face placed on my palm, kissing it gently once in a while as we all began to doze.

I knew that dawn wasn't far off, with the blood already hitting my system, I could feel it's pull to sleep. "Good rest, my loves," I said quietly. I felt Dwayne and David hold me closer. "Rest well, Princess," David replied, his thumb gently caressing my cheek as sleep took me into it's dark embrace.

When I awoke, I knew that I was changed. My eyesight was different, even in the darkness, I could see. Probably not as well as the boys could, as I was only a halfling-vampire. But I could clearly see everything in the room, including the boys who were not awake yet. Their breathing was still deep and steady, they still slept. I laid there, comfortably warm in their embrace as I listened, picking up the sounds of Laddie and Star in the front of the cave. I wondered briefly how Lucy was taking my disappearance. I hoped she wasn't too angry with me. I would have to come up with some kind of story to explain it. Perhaps tell her I had stayed with Star and had gotten ill after eating something. My brain went to work on coming up with a story and I didn't notice immediately that David's eyes were now open and upon me.

"Good evening, Princess," he rasped out and my eyes were instantly on him and I smiled.

"Hello there, handsome," I replied, making him smirk. He slid his hand behind my neck, rubbing it as he pulled me forward to his lips. With a softly murmured, "yes,", his tongue was toying with mine. "Oh good, you're awake!" a very loud Paul shouted, making me wince and David glare.

"And there goes the peace and quiet of a sleeping Paul," I said, teasing him. "Hey, you know you love me," he said. I laughed. "Never disputed that fact, just said that you're loud," I replied. He laughed and yanked me from David's grasp, kissing me soundly as I smacked him lightly on the chest. "Silly man," I said.

"So, what are we doing tonight, my loves?" I asked.

"We are taking you somewhere special," David said, a gleam in his eye. I wondered if this would be the night they showed me their true selves. I smiled.

"Sounds fantastic, but we need to stop by and let my Mom know I'm still alive. I was thinking we could tell her that I'd been hanging out with Star and got sick," I said. David nodded, "Probably a better idea than telling her you were here, engaging in sexual congress with us," he said, smirking. Dwayne chuckled. "Sexual congress?" Dwayne asked raising an eyebrow. David smirked again and nodded, "Sounds better than, 'hey ma, I had a five-some with my four lovers,' doesn't it?"

I choked and blushed, making them laugh. "Is there some place I can clean up first?" I asked. I felt incredibly sweaty and sticky after the night before. "Of course, Princess, forgive us for not thinking of your needs," Dwayne said sweetly. He stood, a sheet wrapped around his waist and lifted me up in another sheet, carrying me to the roman-style bathroom. "The water will be warm from the cistern," he said, filling it. I reached in and found that he was right. While definitely not a hot shower or soak, the water was quite warm. "Here's a washcloth and some soap," he said, handing the to me. "I'll bring you some towels," he said and kissed me. I dropped the sheet and tossed it at him, smiling when he held it to his nose and smelled it with a smile, making me roll my eyes.

I climbed into the enormous tub, sighing as I relaxed in the sun-warmed water. There was a slight chill in the air, making me sink further into the water. I was certainly glad of the expedited healing of a half-vampire, otherwise I would be feeling a whole lot worse and much more sore after all of the encounters with the boys last night. I was still a bit sore, but not as bad as it could be, I was sure. I took the washcloth and soap, washing myself quickly and thoroughly, then using the soap to wash my hair as well. By the time Dwayne returned, the water had begun to cool and I was ready to put on some clothes and enjoy a new evening with the boys. I stood and he stepped forward with the towel, wrapping it around me before he carefully lifted me and carried me back to what I now thought of as "Our" room, mine and my mates'.

I dried off and pulled on my somewhat clean jeans. Dwayne passed me a clean black tee shirt, I'm assuming it's one of David's. I "eeped!" softly when Dwayne pulled me down to sit in front of him and he began to very gently brush my hair. "Did you know," he asked, "that in my culture, the only person allowed to brush a woman's hair was her mother, her sisters, or her husband?" He kissed the back of my neck, making me shiver as his agile fingers began to braid my hair down my spine. I smiled and leaned back, kissing him. "I think I like that tradition," I said. He kissed me deeper and I placed my hands on his chest. "My warrior," I whispered. He growled softly and kissed me again, picking me up and carrying me into the front room.

"There you are, wondered if you were going to be joining us," David teased. I smiled and sat in his lap, his arms automatically wrapping themselves around my body. "We need to stop off at Max's Video," I reminded him. "Star?" I called out, and she peeped from around the curtains of her bed. "Yes?" she asked quietly.

"May I tell my mother that I spent the night with you and became ill and had to stay because of it?" I asked. I was certain that she'd agree if David ordered her to, but I wanted to be friends with her, as she was going to be Michael's mate. She tilted her head to the side, as if surprised I would even ask when I could just have it ordered of her. I smiled pleasantly at her and she nodded, an odd look on her face that spoke of her surprise. As we stood, David gave a direct order to Star, one that she wouldn't be able to break, "Stay here and mind Laddie, we'll bring back food for you later. Understood?" he asked. She looked sullen but nodded.

I frowned and whispered, "Sorry," to her as I walked by, and she nodded. I gave her and Laddie quick hugs before I was hustled from the cave and up the stairs. Marko handed me my bag and I put it across my chest, climbing onto the back of David's bike. I wrapped my arms around him, smiling when I felt his thumb place gentle circular motions on the back of my wrist before he started the bike. Within a heartbeat, we were off, heading towards the boardwalk.

We arrived in front of Max's Video and I hurried inside. It only took me a moment of looking around to find Lucy, she was looking a bit distracted as she helped a client. When she'd finished, I walked over to her. "Hi Mom," I said quietly. The change in her was immediate. "OH! Maddie, where have you been? I've been so worried!" she cried. I felt horrible when I saw unshed tears shining in her eyes.

I wrapped my arms around her, amazed at how far down I could shove the scent of her blood to where there was no chance I'd bite her. I could feel the want for it, but it was almost like when I was facing something in my previous life that I loved the taste of but was allergic to. I knew I couldn't have it, so it wasn't worth making myself ill over. So I'd push the want away. I did the same thing now and hugged her as though my sanity depended upon it.

"I'm so sorry, Mom. I was spending time with my friend Star and some of her friends and we went out to eat. I started feeling really sick and we went back to her house and I've been there since trying to feel better. Her parents don't have a phone or they'd have called you," I said, telling her the story we'd come up with while at the cave. "Her friends gave me a ride into town so I could let you know what was going on," I said, nodding towards where the boys were sitting on their bikes in front of the store. She smiled and waved at them, and I had to hold back a giggle when Paul and Marko waved back. Dwayne didn't move a muscle and David just gave her a nod.

"Is it ok if I hang out with them for a while? I think Michael is going to be joining us later," I asked.

"Are you sure you're feeling up to that?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am. 110% better," I replied. She sighed and nodded. "Just take care of yourself. And be careful of all that junk food," she said. Before I could reply, I was attacked by a big white blob knocking me to the floor.

"Oof!" I said as it laid over me and I was assaulted with dog breath and laps of a long wet canine tongue. "Well hello to you too, Thorn," I said giggling.

"Oh for the love of...Thorn!" I heard Max groan. I laughed harder. "Hi Max!" I said without looking up, just rubbing and scratching Thor, putting him into paroxysms of glee. His leg was twitching as if he was going to rocket to the moon and he flopped onto his stomach like he'd never had a belly rub in his life. "Missed you too, Thorn," I said and kissed the top of his head. I looked up and laughed, all four of my boys were in the doorway, looking a bit worried but their faces relaxed when they hear me laughing. I stood, pushing Thorn off my lap; he looked so dejected I felt sorry for him, but patted him on the head.

I walked over to talk to Max and my Mom. "How are you, Max?" I asked, looking for any signs that he could tell that I was starting to change. "Better now that I see your face in here. Your mother was quite worried about you, young lady," he said, just slightly disapproving.

"Yes, sir. I know. I came to explain why I'd been gone. I'm afraid I ate something that disagreed with me while spending time with my friend Star," I said and I saw his eyebrow raise a bit. "Well then, I hope you're feeling better, my dear," he said and I smiled.

"I'm sure I'll feel better in no time," I replied. "By the way, you should take Mom out again, I know she had a great time the other night, other than the whole debacle with Sam." He looked thoughtfully at Mom and back at me. "Do you really think she'd go for that?" he whispered.

"Definitely. Cook something amazing, have it at your place where you don't have teenagers running around. Remind her that she's more than just a mom. She really likes you, Max. Besides, you're a nice guy, if I had to choose a new stepdad, I think you're a great choice," I replied, truthfully. He looked surprised and gave a heartfelt smile. "Wow, thank you, Madison. That really means a lot to me. I know how much you love your family," he said.

I grinned at him. "Well, I already consider the boys my family and Star and Laddie family, you're family too, now," I said. I gave him a quick peck on the cheek, surprising him and the boys, (and causing David to growl softly) before I waved goodbye to him, Mom and of course, Thorn and walked out of the store, the boys at my heels.

"What was that?" David asked, sounding slightly ill.

"I was welcoming him to the family," I said, laughing quietly. "I have a feeling Max is going to be my new stepdad, eventually."

"And you're okay with that?" he asked.

"Yup," I replied, climbing onto the bike behind him and kissing the back of his neck. He shuddered and we took off down the boardwalk. We stood around at one of the balconies overlooking the ocean and the greater boardwalk area. I knew they were scoping for food, I was waiting for Michael.

Sure enough, after a short wait, Michael was there, grabbing ahold of Marko and shoving him out of the way. I grabbed my Marko quickly with a softly chastising, "Michael!" He ignored me and grabbed David. "Where is she?" he asked. David laughed quietly. "Where is Star, David?" he asked again.

"Michael if you ever want to see Star again, you'd better come with us now," he said.

I felt both exhilaration and a little fear run through me. _This is it_ , I thought. _They're going to show their true natures_. I wasn't afraid of them, but I wasn't exactly ready for the gore fest that was to come. I knew they were putting on a show for Michael, but it was a rather harsh wake-up call for him, as well. We all walked to the bikes and as if knowing what was coming would upset me, Dwayne took my hand and led me to his bike, placing me in front of him this time. I leaned back into him as we rode, and felt his soft lips upon the back of my neck.

We pulled to a stop on a small bluff beside a tree, overlooking a small group of Surf Nazis partying around a bonfire. They were singing along to Aerosmith's Walk This Way as the boys climbed the tree. I climbed up with them, with help from Paul and Marko. I felt the boys' energy suddenly punch up, they became antsy, unable to stop moving. I leaned against the center of the tree as David called to Michael. "You don't want to miss this!" David said. Michael climbed up into the tree on the other side of me.

I heard Dwayne whisper into my ear, "Don't be afraid, Princess," he said. I smiled up at him. "I'm not afraid, love," I said. I thought I heard him whisper something along the lines of, "I hope you'll keep thinking that," but I wasn't quite sure.

The boys hid their faces in the shadows and I heard David's voice. "Initiation's over, Michael! Time to join the club!" he said and pushed his face back into the light from the fires. As I'd thought, they were revealing their vampire selves. They were all laughing, Marko giving a silly, "Hi Michael!" before giggling. Their eyes were more orange-gold than the normal gold that I'd caught on occasion, and their canines had elongated. And then they attacked; it was almost like watching a documentary film for me. I felt no desire to join them, the scent of the blood was strong and I felt a gurgle in my stomach, as if it was a wonderful smelling loaf of fresh bread, but I wasn't to the point where I absolutely HAD to have it.

I looked over and saw Michael. His eyes were golden, he was fighting the pull, but he'd been a half vampire for days longer than I had been and had been fighting it for far longer. He watched all the blood and cried out, throwing himself backwards out of the tree and into the sand. "Michael?" I called to him, climbing down to him. He looked up at me and threw himself into my arms. His eyes were back to normal, but I could hear his heart beating quickly. I held him tightly and listened to his panicked breathing. "Breathe, Michael, breathe!" I whispered into his ear.

We watched as the boys came up over the sand dune. Their focus was on Michael for the minute, and it was more to him than me that David spoke. "So. Now you know what we are. Now you know what you are. You'll never grow old, Michael. And you'll never die. But you must feed," he finished before he began to laugh, the others joining him. Before I could say anything, Michael was up and on his bike, tearing away towards home.

As one, the boys turned back towards me, looking a little apprehensive all of a sudden. I climbed to my feet and walked over to them. They seemed to be waiting for me to run screaming as well, and were surprised when I came closer, instead. I took a handkerchief from my bag and wet it with a bottle of water, wringing it out and dabbing at David's mouth and chin. "Such messy eaters," I said softly. He blinked in surprise as I turned to Paul, then Marko and finally to Dwayne, cleaning them up a bit. David grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward. He stared at me, looking slightly incredulous. "Aren't you going to run away screaming?" he asked.

"Did you want me to?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No! No, no, no!" he said, drawing me closer and holding me to him. "We were afraid that you would fear us, hate us, for what we are," he said quietly. "So we didn't tell you. And then we forced the decision on you without your knowledge," he said, looking unhappy but determined.

"You did, did you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. They all looked at me, a bit guiltily, but again, determined.

"Madison, Princess, we are vampires. And the moment we saw you, the moment we heard your laugh inside Max's, we knew you were our mate. Our mate. Not just mine, nor Dwayne's, nor Paul's, nor Marko's. Ours. That's extremely rare. And we knew we had to have you. The wine you drank last night? It wasn't wine. It was blood, our blood. You are in the in-between. Not fully human, but not yet a full vampire. You won't be a full vampire until you feed for the first time," David explained. Of course, I remembered all this from watching the movie from my previous life. Except for the mate part, that was entirely new. Suspected, hoped for, but new.

"I see," I said. They stepped back as if waiting for me to explode at them or run screaming, either one. I calmly walked over and got onto David's bike. They looked up in surprise. "Are we going to go fine me a meal or not? You didn't exactly leave me anyone to choose from here," I said.

Their faces lit up in surprise and joy and they ran towards me, yanking me off the bike and passing me around with kisses and fervent promises of love and devotion. A girl could get used to this, I thought. "Oh damn," I said, catching them all off guard.

"What's wrong, Princess?" David asked, concern in his voice.

"Those Frog boys. They've got it into their head that you all are vampires. And that Max is your leader. Michael might turn to them to try and turn back human. To turn him, Star and Laddie back human," I said. Dwayne and David looked at each other worriedly.

"We need to go see Max," I said softly. David ground his teeth for a moment but nodded. He grasped my hand, gently helping me onto the back of his bike. I kissed just behind his ear as I climbed on, smiling against his skin when he shuddered. "Watch it, Princess, or I will drive you wild later before I fuck you," he said in warning, making me blush and shiver.

We took off into the hills, heading towards Max's house. As we pulled in, the lights in the house turned on, and Max was at the door, looking annoyed at first when he saw the boys, and then surprised when he saw me there with them. "Madison? Are you alright, dear?" he called out.

"Can we come in, Max? We need to talk to you," I said. He opened the gate and I was immediately inundated by Thorn licking at my fingertips and dancing around me. I smiled at him, "Hello Thorn. Good boy. Go inside, I'm coming," I said and he took off running inside the house. I grinned and Max just shook his head.

"I'm never going to get used to that, you know," he said. I patted his shoulder gently as he gestured us inside. I took a seat on the center of the sofa, with David and Dwayne on either side of me and Marko and Paul at my feet. Max looked surprised at the way they arranged themselves around me.

"So, Madison, you said we needed to talk. Please, feel free to do so," he said, sitting in a wingback chair across from me.

"I'm afraid it has more to do with Michael than it does with me, Max," I said, trying to decide how to explain how badly Michael wanted free and just how far he was willing to go to get himself and Star free of "the vampire curse," as he saw it.

"The boys showed Michael their true selves tonight and told him what he is, what he's becoming. He didn't take it terribly well, I'm afraid. I know he wants out of becoming a vampire, he wants to get Star out as well. I'm just afraid of how far he'll go to get it. My younger brother Sam has become friends with those two boys, the Frog brothers, that came to dinner the other night. I'm afraid that if we don't do something soon, that he may turn to them for help. And as much as they seem like bumbling children, they could do some damage, even kill someone by accident. Now, no one wants to see that happen, least of all any of us. So I was wondering if there was any way to release Star and Michael without having to kill the vampire's leader?" I asked.

"What makes you think I would know who the vampire's leader is?" Max asked, looking surprised. He glared at David. "You told her, didn't you?"

I giggled. "No, David didn't tell me, Max. I recognized what you were when you asked Michael to invite you into our home," I said, stretching the truth just a bit and glad that the boys weren't able to read my thoughts. Max stared at me blankly and the boys were obviously shocked.

"Wait, you knew what we were?" David asked.

I smiled and nodded. "Of course I knew, love."

"And you still stayed?" Dwayne was amazed. "Is that why you weren't mad about the wine?"

"I had four men who loved me, why would I leave?" I asked honestly. "Drinking blood for you is no different than me enjoying a nice steak or venison roast. Besides, I would have asked for the wine soon if you hadn't offered it."

Max smiled widely. "So she is your mate. I had hoped so. As I hope that Lucy is mine. And thank you for that advice earlier, Madison, your mother agreed to a date here at the house."

"I think you should tell her what you are, Max. Just go slowly, don't scare her too badly. My mom's a lot stronger than she looks. And as long as she knows you're not going to hurt her or the boys, I think she'd agree to be with you," I told him. He looked thoughtful and nodded.

I smiled. "Now then, back to the original question. Is there any way to free them without you having to die for it to happen?"


	10. Chapter 10

An hour later, my loves and I, and Max following in his car, arrived at Grandpa's house. I hurried to the doorway and knocked on the door. The door was opened wide and Lucy stood there. "Maddie, there you are, come inside! You've been sick, you'll catch your death out there, and just look, it's starting to rain!" she said and yanked me inside. I turned and nodded to the boys and Max. "Um, Mom?" I said, catching her attention. She looked up and saw the others there, "Oh! Oh, please, all of you come in, it's going to pour any second now," she said and welcomed them into the house.

"Mom, no!" Sam shouted from the doorway catching everyone's attention. "They're vampires!"

"Sam! What in the world?" Mom said, rolling her eyes.

"No, Mom, I'm serious!" he said.

"Sammy," I said softly, and he looked at me like he was going to cry.

"You don't believe me either, Maddie?" he said sadly. I opened my arms to him and he ran into them, burying himself into my shoulder. I shushed him quietly and sat down on the sofa, rubbing his back and shoulders. I heard the door shut and then saw Michael and Star coming down the stairs, Laddie's little hand clutched in hers. Laddie saw me and his eyes lit up. "Maddie!" he cried and ran to me, throwing himself in my lap and cuddling against me. I wrapped my other arm against him. "Laddie, my baby boy!" I said, nuzzling into the top of his head. I smelled that soft scent that only young children have and almost felt like purring in completion. Is this what being a mother felt like? This fierceness, protective, love-filled feeling?

I felt Dwayne's hand cover mine where it held Laddie to me, and knew that he felt the same way about Laddie. A son. Our child.

"Maddie?" Michael's voice was nervous and I looked up to see him and smiled. "Hi there, brother-mine," I said. He seemed to be relieved that I wasn't vamping out or anything. My not being a full vampire must have relieved something inside him, because he took Star's hand and sat on the couch across from us, but still seemed nervous. "We need to talk, all of us. Mom, you too. Please, everyone sit down," I said.

"Max, why don't you go first?" I said, nodding towards Lucy. He looked nervous but nodded and walked over to Lucy's chair.

"Lucy, from the first time I saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. You were so kind, so sweet, so protective over your children. Every new thing I learned about you just made me more sure that you were the one for me. And you were so open with me about everything in your life. Your divorce, your ex-husband, your children, your hobbies, your wants and your dreams. And while I was open with you about most things, there's something very important I hid from you. I'm sorry that I did, but it's not something that most people willingly accept," he began. He looked up to me and I nodded to him in support. "But after watching Maddie with my boys, I have hope that you might be willing to look beyond what most people fear and hate and give me a chance." He took a deep breath. "You see, Lucy, there is another world beyond this one. It's hidden from humans because there are so few of us. Lucy, I'm a vampire," he said, and stepped back, waiting for her ire.I heard Sammy let out a loud "Ack!," but I held onto him and made him sit still.

Minutes went by with no chance in Mom's expression. "Lucy?" Max asked.

"Mom?" I asked softly.

She looked up at me. "Yes, dear?"

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"I...Am I dreaming or did Max say he was a vampire?"

"Yes, Mom, it's what he said. Are you okay with that?" I asked.

"Well, it's rather odd, don't you think?" she asked.

I smiled. "Well, no, I don't really think so. The boys are as well," I said.

"Oh. They are? That's nice dear," she said quietly with a sweet smile. I was a little worried, so took matters into my own hands and began to explain.

"Mom, what Max isn't explaining very well is that he believes that you are his mate. A vampire has only one in their entire long life. One person, made only for them. They are very rare, a treasure beyond all others, a joining of two souls. He recognized it in you the first night you met, remember, when you took Terry into the store looking for his mother?" Lucy nodded, her eyes wide. I turned to Michael. "And Michael, Star is your mate. The pull was so strong that you felt it even as a human and she only half-turned. That's why you couldn't resist the pull from that very first night, why you felt so compelled to stop her from going anywhere with David. She felt it too," I explained.

They turned to each other and smiled happily, embracing and snuggling together onto the couch. "Michael," I said softly. He turned back to me. "I have some good news and some bad news," I said. He tensed up as did Star in his arms. I looked to Max and he nodded. "The good news is that there is a way to break the vampirism without Max having to die." Michael and Star smiled at each other and kissed. I heard David pretend gag and automatically reached over and smacked his shoulder lightly.

I then continued, "The bad news is that if you are no longer vampire, you're no longer connected. The mate link would break. You could end up despising each other. And there's no going back if the link is broken. Becoming a vampire again won't mend it. Max is willing to release you both, but there is no guarantee you will still be together afterwards. So you have to choose: Stay what you are and love each other unconditionally until the end of time. Yes, you will have to feed, but it can be donated blood or you can kill the dregs of society like I plan on doing. God knows there's enough of them in places like Santa Carla that prey on the young runaways and others. Or Max can release you and you can take the chance of losing everything you love about each other.

"What about Laddie?" Star asked. I smiled and kissed my little man's head. "I would never turn him against his will or do anything he didn't want. So let's ask him. Laddie, baby?" I said, and he looked up at me from where he'd been reading one of Sam's comic books. "Laddie, if you had a choice, where would you like to live? Here with Miss Lucy, Michael and Star? Or back at the cave with Me, Dwayne, David, Paul and Marko?"

His nose scrunched up in deep thought and he gave it a lot of thought. "Will you still cook for me sometimes?" he asked. I laughed and kissed the top of his head. "Of course. And I'm sure Miss Lucy would love to cook for a little boy like you sometimes, too."

"I'd like to stay with you, Momma, and Daddy Dwayne," he said and I felt my heart fill with love and my eyes fill with tears. I wrapped my arms around my child and hugged him tight. I laughed at the thoughts running through my head that even though I wasn't able to have children my last go-round and that I'd chosen vampirism this time which meant no children again, I had a child anyways that held a piece of my heart. "Well then, that's settled," I said. "You'll stay where you want to stay."

I sat and faced Sam, who'd been quiet the entire time and was looking rather alarmed by everything that was going on. "Sammy?"

He looked up at me and fear was in his eyes. "The same goes for you, baby brother. You can stay with Grandpa, Mom, Max, Michael and Star, or you're welcome with me and the boys," I said.

"Yeah, come party with us, little bro!" Paul said, making me smile.

Sammy's face went white. "What is it, Sam?" I asked.

"They're gonna turn me, aren't they? Gonna force me to be a vampire?" he whispered.

"Absolutely not! Sammy, you will only be changed if you want to change, and even then, not until you're 18 or older. I would have Max release Laddie, but I don't want to mess up the chance that he might possibly meet his mate. Sammy there is something very important we do have to talk about, though. The Frog brothers."

"Those two? They're good friends, but not very good vampire hunters," he said.

I smiled. "No, but they try hard, and that's the worry. Think about what you might do if you were desperate to prove that you could destroy a vampire?" I said.

He thought for a moment and his face went from a grin to a terrified look. He jerked his face up to mine. "Not good," he said.

"Very not good," I agreed. "They could accidentally stake a human, or kill someone by accident, or they could stake a half-vampire or vampire that was your friend or relative. Do you want that, Sammy?" I asked quietly.

"No!" he cried and curled up against me. As I always had, I rubbed his back until the tears went away.

"What can we do to make them back down?" Max asked.

"I'm of two minds," I said. "And both of them come with the fear that they will take things into their own hands and try to eliminate what they see as 'The Vampire Problem.' My thoughts are: A.) Show up en masse and terrify them," there was an explosion of hoots and applause from Paul and Marko," or B.) going to deal with them in a friendly manner and explaining things to them. But either way, I'm afraid of what damage they could do to us during the daytime when we're unprotected." Max, Lucy, David and Dwayne nodded.

"I think our best bet would be to talk to them. Explain to them that we have decided to keep our kills to the dregs and base of society. Murderers, rapists, pedophiles, Surf Nazis, gang members," Max said and I nodded. "I believe that may be our best bet as well. Boys, I know in the past you've enjoyed hunting wherever you find prey, but I think our safety, the safety of our family, the safety of your mate, depends on this."

"For our mate, we would do anything," Dwayne said and the boys nodded, each of them touching me with some part of their body."

" _Ou_ r mate?" Lucy asked, and she, Michael and Sam all looked up at me for a moment.

"Oh. Uh, I thought I explained that." I said, blushing.

"You most certainly did not. You said one mate for each vampire," Lucy said.

"Well..apparently it rarely happens, but once in a great while, an entire pack will feel the mate pull to one single person. The same night that Max met you, Mom, the boys met me and they were instantly pulled to me." I blushed and smiled and as Mom watched, the boys all turned to me, their looks adoring and protective.

"Oh, honey, I'm so happy for you! And for all of you boys as well, that's so sweet!" she exclaimed.

Laddie yawned, catching my attention. "Well, I think we need to go home now, Mom, and that you and Max have some things to discuss, as do Michael and Star. Sam, you're welcome to come with us, if you'd like. There's plenty of room back at the cave, you can share a room in the lobby with Laddie, there's plenty of light, you'd have nothing to worry about," I said.

He looked at us consideringly before shaking his head. "No, I think I'd rather sleep in my own bed," he said and I nodded. "I understand," I said and kissed the top of his head. I handed Laddie over to Dwayne and looked to David. "I'm going to go up to my room and gather some of my things, if that's alright?" I asked.

He nodded. "Paul, Marko, go with our mate and help her," he said and they nodded in agreement. I stood and they escorted me upstairs. I pulled out an old hard body suitcase and packed it carefully with some of my favorite clothes, my jewelry and makeup and my bottle of Beautiful perfume. My toothbrush, toothpaste, and shampoo went into the suitcase as well. The boys were wandering around the room staring at the pictures I had drawn or painted, as well as my stereo and music collection.

"We're going to have to borrow a car to bring the rest of this to the cave. I bet Grandpa would let me borrow his," I said, tossing a few of my favorite books into a backpack, along with some notebooks, pens, and my secondary art pad and pencils. I unpinned a few of my favorite pictures and took a framed photograph of Lucy, Michael and myself and put it carefully between layers of clothing in the suitcase. I closed and latched the lid and handed it to Paul. "Go tie that carefully to your bike, please, love?" he grinned and kissed me deeply, yanking me against him, before nodding and taking the suitcase and heading downstairs with it.

Marko just grinned. "What?" I asked, blushing. He sauntered over and wrapped his arms around me, that beautiful, mischievous grin in place. He grabbed my ass with both hands and pulled me to him, kissing me deeply and didn't stop until I was panting for air.

I smiled and shooed him out of the room and stood there for a moment, looking over the room where everything had begun in this new life. The pictures on the wall, the books on the shelves. Everything that had once been my "normal". A clearing of someone's throat had me turning and I found all four of my boys in the doorway, Dwayne, my sweet, silent warrior standing tall behind David, our alpha, who leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed over his black-clad chest. Paul leaning against the other side of the doorway, a joint clearly visible in his breast pocket, but looking at me with a love clearly in his eyes. My sweet, fun-natured Marko standing in front of Paul, biting his fingernail and looking at me as though I was a treasure beyond all measure. My loves. My mates.

They were alive, they were safe, and we were going to keep it that way. The very next night, I hunted for the first time and truly became a member of the pack and mate to my loves. We made love all that night and there was no way it could have gone any better.

That summer, we crafted a treaty of sorts with the Frog brothers. We helped them keep the city clean of any other vampires, and in return, they didn't stake us. Santa Carla went from the Murder Capital of the world to one of the cleanest cities, as we got rid of the rapists, murderers, and pedophiles. Max made an arrangement with a friend at a local hospital and we soon had a backup of blood donations in case of an emergency.

That fall, Max finally asked Lucy to marry him. She said yes, of course. They have plans to turn her after the honeymoon. Star and Michael are as in love as ever, it's so funny to watch them be so lovey-dovey at times, until they start teasing me about my mates. Laddie lives part time between the two groups of us, he's even got his own little bedroom back at the cave now, across the hall from the room I share with the boys. He has yet to decide what he wants, but he has lots of time to grow up and decide later.

Sammy started high school and surprisingly met another huge comic book fan. His name is Brandon and he's sweet. He also has a Batman #14. It was love at first trade. Grandpa was the truly unexpected party. At the end of the summer, he moved in with the widow Johnson after a great deal of mumbling about "all the damn vampires." It turns out, he knew all along. Grandpa and the widow lived a long, full life together.

At the end of the summer, my boys presented me with a ring: pink, white, and yellow gold, and a band of platinum, braided together around a single teardrop shaped ruby. Of course, I said yes. Mom and I are shopping for a dress and Max will perform the ancient ceremony. I could not be any happier. I sometimes stop and think about my life before. I miss my family and my nieces and cousins sometimes. I always will, I think. But I know they would be happy for me, to have my boys in my life. My Lost Boys.


End file.
